Temple of the Tiburtine Sybil, from "Roman Ruins"

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching captures the weathered remains of the Temple of the Sibyl in Tivoli, Italy, a celebrated ancient Roman structure perched above cascading waterfalls. Created in 1650 by Wenceslaus Hollar after a design by Flemish painter Sebastiaen Vrancx, the print belongs to the series “Roman Ruins.” Hollar’s precise etching technique—here in its second state—renders crumbling columns and overgrown masonry with remarkable clarity, inviting viewers to appreciate both the grandeur and fragility of classical antiquity. During the seventeenth century, images of Roman ruins circulated widely...

About the Artist

Wenceslaus Hollar|Sebastiaen Vrancx · 1607–1677

Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was a prolific Bohemian etcher who became one of the most accomplished printmakers of the seventeenth century. Born in Prague, he trained under Matthäus Merian in Frankfurt before entering the service of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in 1636. Hollar spent most of his career in England, where he produced approximately 2,740 etchings documenting an extraordinary range...