Ruinae Coliseum, from "Roman Ruins"

An etching of a vaulted interior of the Colosseum in Rome, its massive piers and arches receding into shadow toward a bright opening. Fallen masonry and a shallow pool of water catch the light in the foreground, while crosshatching describes the worn brick surfaces and the ceiling vault.

Look closer: A small shrub grows out of the rubble at the lower right edge.

Artist

Wenceslaus Hollar

Date

ca. 1650

Medium

Etching; second state of two

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3998 × 2505 px

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