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The image shows a view from a low angle looking up at a grand archway with sculptures and carvings. The Arch of Constantine in Rome is the dominant structure, obscuring the horizon. The foreground contains foliage and columns. The artwork is detailed, with fine lines and crosshatching suggesting an etching technique. The color scheme is monochrome with shades of sepia and black. Trees in the distance indicate a landscaped area beyond the archway, adding depth to the scene.
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The image shows a view from a low angle looking up at a grand archway with sculptures and carvings. The Arch of Constantine in Rome is the dominant structure, obscuring the horizon. The foreground contains foliage and columns. The artwork is detailed, with fine lines and crosshatching suggesting an etching technique. The color scheme is monochrome with shades of sepia and black. Trees in the distance indicate a landscaped area beyond the archway, adding depth to the scene.

National Gallery of Art · Portfolio

Arco di Costantino

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Date
1748
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 12.9 x 26.2 cm (5 1/16 x 10 5/16 in.) sheet: 37.4 x 52.9 cm (14 3/4 x 20 13/16 in.)
Classification
Portfolio · Print
Accession number
2002.66.1.9
Credit line
Edward E. MacCrone Fund and the Eugene L. and Marie-Louise Garbáty Fund
Time span
1726 to 1750
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Portfolio and series

Series
Antichità romane de'tempi della repubblica

Subjects and terms

  • architecture
  • Venetian
  • Ruins
  • plant
  • Building
  • Writing
Provenance

(sale, Sotheby's London, 21 March 1972, lots 142 and 142, included in a two-volume bound copy of _Le Magnificenze di Roma_); (Herman Shickman Gallery, New York); (sale, Sotheby's New York, 1 November 2001, the volumes broken up and sold as individual sets, this lot 135); (Harris Schrank, New York); purchased 2002 by NGA.

NGA object ID 125667. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.