Thermen van Diocletianus 1618

Curator: What strikes me is how ghostly and ethereal this print appears, despite the subject being a substantial, real place. Editor: Absolutely. What we are looking at is "Thermen van Diocletianus," a 1618 etching by Claes Jansz. Visscher. It's a cityscape rendered with this incredible attention to line and detail, but filtered through, perhaps, the memory of something long gone. Curator: The Baths of Diocletian were once monumental symbols of power. Here, though, they feel…ruined, softened. It’s like Visscher isn’t showing us the height of the Roman Empire, but more like a dream, perhaps of its inevitable decay. What purpose could these buildings have once served? How are they experienced today? Editor: This perspective invites us to consider Rome through a very particular lens. In 1618, the Baths were more ruin than monument. Visscher emphasizes the dilapidation, doesn't shy away from showing nature reclaiming its space among the stones. The structure might also speak to social dynamics within cities over time. Who are the modern inhabitants here, what stories might they hold? Curator: There's an openness to it, even with the precise line work. The etching technique almost mimics the effect of light filtering through ancient spaces. I mean, those geometric lines could seem quite rigid, but the overall impact is softened. Almost melancholic, don't you think? Editor: Definitely melancholic. The print situates us on the margins, hinting at narratives of decline, but perhaps also, the opportunity to re-evaluate what "grandeur" truly means. There's a subversive element to depicting something built by an emperor and reclaimed by common, everyday scenes. Curator: I find myself contemplating this question a bit more… is it more beautiful, the imposing strength of the empire, or what persists of it later, like this beautiful and slightly tragic whisper from centuries before. Editor: An excellent point, one to hold onto, as we step into our own spaces within and without the remnants of history.