Profile of the Temple of Fortuna Virilis (Profilo del Tempio della Fortuna Virile), and section of the temple, from the series 'Le Antichità Romane'
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 20 3/8 x 14 13/16 in. (51.8 x 37.6 cm) Plate: 15 3/8 x 9 11/16 in. (39.1 x 24.6 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.862.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the grand world of 18th Rome with Giovanni Battista Pir's *Profile of the Temple of Fort Virilis (Profilo del Tempio della Fort Virile), and section of the temple*, an exquisite etching from his seminal series *Le Antich Romane* (Roman Antiquities), in 1756. This print captures the elegant side profile and a detailed cross-section of one of Rome's best-preserved ancient temples, originally dedicated to Fortuna Vir (later associated with the god Portunus). Nestled along the Tiber River, the temple dates to the late Republic (c. 120–80 BCE) and exemplifies Ionic order architecture with...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Piranesi · 1720–1778
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) was an Italian printmaker, architect, and antiquarian whose visionary etchings of Rome and imaginary prisons revolutionized architectural representation and profoundly influenced both Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Piranesi stands as one of the most important printmakers of the eighteenth century, fundamentally shaping European perceptions of ancient Rome an...