Amphitiatri Romani, from "Roman Ruins"

An etching showing the interior of the Colosseum framed by a broken arch and crumbling masonry, with its tiered arcades receding into the distance. Small figures stand near the arena edge, and still water in the foreground mirrors the ruins.

Look closer: Tiny figures standing near the arena, and a signature in the lower left corner.

Artist

Wenceslaus Hollar

Date

ca. 1650

Medium

Etching; second state of two

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3983 × 2530 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917