Giant's Temple at Cumae
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink on cream laid paper, laid down on cream laid card
Dimensions
11.3 × 14.9 cm (4 1/2 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
95639
Art Historical Context
This delicate pen and ink drawing captures the atmospheric ruins of the Giant's Temple at Cumae, an evocative ancient site near Naples. Created by an unknown Italian artist on cream laid paper, the small-scale work measures just 11.3 by 14.9 centimeters, suggesting it may have served as a personal study or travel sketch. The use of brown ink allows for fine linear detail and subtle tonal variation, characteristic of traditional European draftsmanship that emphasizes observation and architectural form. As part of the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection, the piece highligh...