View of the Temple of the Camenae (Veduta del Tempio delle Camene [...])

The Temple of Camenae, while no longer existing, is remembered through past depictions like Piranesi’s. Through the juxtaposition of light and deep shadows, Piranesi exaggerates the scale of the decay while heightening the temple’s magnificence. Resting along the Appian Way, travelers passed the temple on journeys to and from Rome. Though the structure was not particularly famous in antiquity, the ruin undoubtedly left an impact on its 18th-century onlookers by creating a sense of wonder about the stories and rituals that once took place within its walls. The figures in the scene veer away from Piranesi’s usual characters. With the nearby stream once drawn from by holy Vestals, loitering figures now cloud the scene, adding to a sense of loss and decay. Through the ruins of a former religious building, Piranesi seems to suggest that the spiritual decay of Ancient Rome has an impact on his own time.

Arthur M. Hind (Author), Giovanni Battista Piranesi: A Critical Study, with a List of His Published Works and Detailed Catalogues of the Prisons and the Views of Rome, Da Capo Press, New York, 1967, ©1922

Henri Focillon (Author), Giovanni-Battista Piranesi: Essai de Catalogue Raisonné de Son Oeuvre, Librairie Renouard, Henri Laurens, Paris, 1918

Piranesi's Rome: Views of the Eternal City, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Olivia Kohler-Maga, September 04, 2024 - December 07, 2024