Two churches near Trajan's column, S. Maria di Loreto and Santissimo Nome di Maria (Veduta delle due chiesa, l'una detta della Madonna di Loreto, l'altra del nome di Maria, presso la Colonna Trajana)
ca. 1762
Medium
etching
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. David Keppel, 1960
Accession Number
60.591.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of Rome's bustling Forum of Trajan stands Giovanni Battista Piranesi's captivating etching *Two Churches near Trajan's Column* (ca. 1762). This veduta, or topographical view, masterfully captures the Baroque facades of S. Maria Loreto and Santissimo di Maria flanking the ancient Trajan's—a monumental relic from AD honoring Emperor Trajan's victories. Created during the height of the Grand Tour era, when wealthy Europeans flocked to Italy, Piranesi's print immortalizes Rome's layered history, blending imperial antiquity with 17th-century ecclesiastical splendor amid everyday life:...
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...