The artwork entitled “The Roman antiquities, t. 4, Plate XV. View the progress of one of the stacks of the Triumphal Bridge” by Giovanni Battista Piranesi is an exquisite etching that falls within the Neoclassicism art movement. Created as part of the “Le antichità Romane” series, the piece is categorized under the genre of design.
The artwork presents a detailed architectural study, showcasing a bird’s-eye view map of a section of the Tiber River (Tevere Fiume) in Rome, surrounded by various monumental antiquities and ancient inscriptions. The upper part of the artwork depicts the structural layout of what appears to be a bridge spanning the river, marked with numerous annotations and accompanied by a meticulous scale. Below the map, the artwork features three distinct stone fragments engraved with Latin inscriptions and reliefs, which likely served commemorative or dedicatory functions. The central inscription honors a deity, likely tied to Roman religious practices, while the two flanking stones include representations of various symbols and further textual content. The overall composition is framed elegantly, with a finely etched lower caption providing additional context in Italian, demonstrating Piranesi’s masterful ability in capturing and preserving ancient Roman architectural heritage.
