Tomb of Cecilia Metella, 1762
Giovanni Battista Piranesiexpand_more
Etchingexpand_more
The William M. Ladd Collection Gift of Herschel V. Jones, 1916expand_more P.477
Not on Viewexpand_more
This round ruin went from tomb to tollbooth. It still stands atop a hill along the Appian Way, about three miles south of the Colosseum. Originally over 70 feet tall and 96 feet wide, it had concrete walls 24 feet thick. As Piranesi noted on the tablet, it was built in the 1st century BCE to honor Caecilia Metella, “daughter of Roman consul Quintus Creticus and wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus.” The swallowtail-shaped battlements on top of the structure were added in the 1300s, when the tomb was converted into a fortress. The owners then used it to collect exorbitant tolls from travelers passing by on the Appian Way.
Details
- Title
- Tomb of Cecilia Metella
- Artist Life
- Italian, 1720–1778
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.477
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Hind 067; Wilton-Ely
- 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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