Half of Building [Templum Saturni] from the series 'Ruinarum variarum fabricarum delineationes pictoribus caeterisque id genus artificibus multum utiles'
![Half of Building [Templum Saturni] from the series 'Ruinarum variarum fabricarum delineationes pictoribus caeterisque id genus artificibus multum utiles' by Monogrammist G.A. & the Caltrop|Lambert Suavius|Gerard de Jode](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/dp/thumb/half-of-building-templum-saturni-from-the-series-408631.webp)
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 7 3/16 × 4 7/16 in. (18.3 × 11.3 cm) [left edge of the plate is not straight]
Classification
Prints|Books|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1948
Accession Number
48.13.4(70)
Tags
About this artwork
This etching depicts a half-section of an ancient building identified as the Templum Saturni, from the 1554 series "Ruinarum variarum fabricarum delineationes." The print shows a cutaway view revealing the internal structure and external facade of a classical temple, demonstrating Renaissance interest in architectural construction and spatial organization. The composition presents columns, entablature, and architectural details with careful attention to classical proportions and ornament. Gerard...
About the Artist
Monogrammist G.A. & the Caltrop|Lambert Suavius|Gerard de Jode · 1535–1535
**Monogrammist G.A. with the Caltrop**, an enigmatic Italian engraver active in Rome during the 1530s and 1540s, remains one of the shadowy figures of the Renaissance print world. Identified solely by his monogram "G.A." accompanied by a distinctive caltrop symbol—a spiked iron ball used in warfare—little is known of his personal life or training. His early years are not well documented, and no te...