The artwork titled “The Roman Antiquities, T. 3, Plate VI. View the remains above ground of the ancient Ustrine and relevant to the same factories” is an etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. It belongs to the Neoclassicism art movement and is part of the “Le antichità Romane” series. The genre of this artwork is termed as “capriccio.”
In the artwork, Piranesi presents a detailed depiction of the ancient ruins of the Ustrine, set within a grand panorama that captures the remnants of these historical structures above ground. The foreground prominently features crumbling walls and architectural remnants overtaken by foliage, while the middle ground reveals a scattered array of stones and fragments. Further in the distance, the landscape opens up to a broader vista of the ruins, populated with small human figures that give a sense of scale and activity amidst the ruins. The etched lines create a stark contrast of light and shadow, emphasizing the texture and decay of the stone structures. The meticulous detailing typical of Piranesi’s style draws the viewer’s eye to the intricate interplay between the ruinous state of the ancient structures and the natural elements reclaiming the space.
