The Coliseum, 1757-1761
Giovanni Battista Piranesiexpand_more
Etchingexpand_more
The William M. Ladd Collection Gift of Herschel V. Jones, 1916expand_more P.472
Not on Viewexpand_more
The Colosseum is the most famous remnant of ancient Rome. Also called the Flavian Amphitheater, it was built under three successive emperors of the Flavius family (Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian) in the years 76 to 92 CE. Today many sports stadiums can trace their oval design to this masterpiece of Roman architecture. Piranesi’s skewed perspective makes us feel as if we were looking at the rounded corner of a square building, a view that apparently gave rise to squarish stadium layouts, such as the late, great Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Details
- Title
- The Coliseum
- Artist Life
- Italian, 1720–1778
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.472
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Hind 057 i/iv; Wilton-Ely 191
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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