Artwork Details
18 x 25-3/8 in. (plate) 20 x 27-1/2 in. (sheet)
Accession NumberBequest of Mrs. Lucius B. Swift
CopyrightPrints, Drawings, and Photographs
Color PaletteGallery Labels
Gallery Labels
By law, Romans had to be buried outside of the city, so the tomb of Cecilia Metella was one of many that lined the Appian Way leading south from the gates of Rome. In the Middle Ages, the tomb became a fortress and Piranesi points out the medieval additions.
"Standing with half its battlements alone,And with two thousand years of ivy grown,
The garland of eternity, where wave
The green leaves over all by time o'erthrown;-
Where was this tower of strength? within its case What treasures lay, so lock'd, so hid?-A woman's grave."
-Lord Byron, 1818
Exhibition History
Exhibition History
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
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