“The Roman antiquities, t. 3, Plate XXX. Inscriptions, sarcophagi and other objects found in burial chambers earlier, etc..” by Giovanni Battista Piranesi is an etching from the Neoclassicism art movement, belonging to the “design” genre. It is part of the artwork series titled “Le antichità Romane.”
The artwork intricately showcases inscriptions, sarcophagi, and various artifacts discovered in ancient Roman burial chambers. The detailed etching is characterized by a rich assortment of sepulchral relics, including fragments of funerary markers and Latin inscriptions meticulously arranged in a seemingly chaotic yet revealing manner. Various sarcophagi, some with elaborate carvings and human skeletal remains, are prominently featured. In the foreground, broken statues and grave goods are depicted with striking realism, capturing the archaeological sentiment of unearthing a long-lost civilization. The somber and detailed rendering conveys a deep respect for ancient Roman history and funerary practices, which embodies the Neoclassical pursuit of historical reverence and artistic precision.
