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View of the Arch of Titus, from Views of Rome

Date

1760

Creator

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

In his view of the Arch of Titus, Piranesi pushes to an extreme the idea of decay. The arch is neither the central focus nor is it displayed in its entirety. Instead, Piranesi relegates the triumphal arch to the edge of the composition, angling it to emphasize the sculpture within the vault. The frame further restricts the view, truncating the left and top of the monument. In order to balance the weight of the arch in the composition, Piranesi places intertwining olive trees in the right foreground within a scene of contemporary architecture, which recedes along a street leading to S. Bonaventura. Piranesi included contemporary figures to give a sense of scale. He depicts the arch's crumbling state in minute detail; exposed to elements of nature, the sculpture is worn, bricks exposed, and columns broken. adapted from Sullo, The World of Piranesi: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Learning beyond the Classroom through Italian Language and Culture (Notre Dame, 2010)

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In his view of the Arch of Titus, Piranesi pushes to an extreme the idea of decay. The arch is neither the central focus nor is it displayed in its entirety. Instead, Piranesi relegates the triumphal arch to the edge of the composition, angling it to emphasize the sculpture within the vault. The frame further restricts the view, truncating the left and top of the monument. In order to balance the weight of the arch in the composition, Piranesi places intertwining olive trees in the right foreground within a scene of contemporary architecture, which recedes along a street leading to S. Bonaventura. Piranesi included contemporary figures to give a sense of scale. He depicts the arch's crumbling state in minute detail; exposed to elements of nature, the sculpture is worn, bricks exposed, and columns broken. adapted from Sullo, The World of Piranesi: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Learning beyond the Classroom through Italian Language and Culture (Notre Dame, 2010)
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  • In his view of the Arch of Titus, Piranesi pushes to an extreme the idea of decay. The arch is neither the central focus nor is it displayed in its entirety. Instead, Piranesi relegates the triumphal arch to the edge of the composition, angling it to emphasize the sculpture within the vault. The frame further restricts the view, truncating the left and top of the monument. In order to balance the weight of the arch in the composition, Piranesi places intertwining olive trees in the right foreground within a scene of contemporary architecture, which recedes along a street leading to S. Bonaventura. Piranesi included contemporary figures to give a sense of scale. He depicts the arch's crumbling state in minute detail; exposed to elements of nature, the sculpture is worn, bricks exposed, and columns broken. adapted from Sullo, The World of Piranesi: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Learning beyond the Classroom through Italian Language and Culture (Notre Dame, 2010)
  • In his view of the Arch of Titus, Piranesi pushes to an extreme the idea of decay. The arch is neither the central focus nor is it displayed in its entirety. Instead, Piranesi relegates the triumphal arch to the edge of the composition, angling it to emphasize the sculpture within the vault. The frame further restricts the view, truncating the left and top of the monument. In order to balance the weight of the arch in the composition, Piranesi places intertwining olive trees in the right foreground within a scene of contemporary architecture, which recedes along a street leading to S. Bonaventura. Piranesi included contemporary figures to give a sense of scale. He depicts the arch's crumbling state in minute detail; exposed to elements of nature, the sculpture is worn, bricks exposed, and columns broken. adapted from Sullo, The World of Piranesi: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Learning beyond the Classroom through Italian Language and Culture (Notre Dame, 2010)
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720 - 1778)
1760
Prints
Etching on laid paper
2006.008.003
architecture
deterioration
intaglio prints
Olea europaea
powder magazines
Roman
semicircular arches
triumphal arches
vedute
Not on view, please request access
20 3/8 x 28 1/4 in. (51.75 x 71.76 cm)
Gift of Harvey and Rica Simmons Spivack

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.