The Ruins of the Forum of Nerva, Rome, seen from the South-West 1570 - 1583

Matthijs Bril the Younger rendered this drawing of the Ruins of the Forum of Nerva in Rome with pen and brown ink sometime in the late 16th century. Bril's drawing belongs to a tradition of artists representing the ruined monuments of antiquity. Interest in these ruins grew alongside the development of art academies. These institutions promoted the study and emulation of classical art. For artists in largely Catholic countries such as Italy, classical architecture also offered a powerful link to the pre-Christian past. This pride in classical antiquity can be seen as a way to bolster the local reputation of Rome and to advance the city as a center of art in Europe, despite the Protestant Reformation. We, as historians, use drawings like this as source material to trace the classical influence on Renaissance art. By researching the collections of art academies and artists' sketchbooks we can better understand the artistic values of the time. This is how we give context to the work, linking it to social and institutional histories.