The Forum Romanum, or Campo Vaccino, from the Capitol, with the Arch of Septimius in the foreground left, Temple of Vespian right, and the Colosseum in the distance (Veduta di Campo Vaccino)
ca. 1775
Medium
Etching
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edward W. Root, Elihu Root Jr. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant III, 1937
Accession Number
37.17.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the majestic ruins of ancient Rome with Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etching *The Forum Romanum, Campo Vaccino, from Capitol* (ca. 1775). This veduta, or detailed cityscape view, captures the heart of the Roman Forum—once the bustling political and social center of the Empire—from the Capitoline Hill. In the foreground left stands the weathered Arch of Septimius, honoring the emperor's victories; to the right, the Temple Vespasian looms with quiet dignity; and in the hazy distance, the Colosseum hints at imperial spectacle. By Piranesi's time, this sacred site had become the Campo Va...
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...