Ruins of a Roman Amphitheatre – Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae
Ruins of a Roman Amphitheater
Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae, Tab. XIII, p. 29.
Leiden, 1704–1725, edited by Johann Georg Graevius and published by Pieter van der Aa.
This plate presents views of a Roman amphitheater in three registers. The upper scene shows the curving outer wall with arched entrances and a gatehouse. The middle depicts arcades partly overgrown with trees and vegetation, suggesting the ruin’s absorption into the landscape. The lower image focuses on a vaulted arcade with three arches, the foreground strewn with stones and plants.
The composition reflects the 18th-century rediscovery of antiquity, when artists, travelers, and scholars documented classical ruins both as historical evidence and as sources of inspiration for the developing Neoclassical style. Amphitheaters in particular symbolized the grandeur of Roman civic life and the enduring presence of antiquity in the Italian landscape.
Leiden between 1704 and 1725
Each Plate Approx 28 x 48 cm (Full Sheet Including Margins)
The Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae formed part of the monumental Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum series compiled by Johann Georg Graevius (1632–1703) and published in Leiden between 1704 and 1725. Overseen by the Dutch publisher Pieter van der Aa, the folio volumes combined texts, inscriptions, and richly engraved illustrations of monuments and antiquities from across Italy.
Many of the plates, such as those from the Monumenta Brixiana section devoted to finds from Brescia, document Roman statues, coins, inscriptions, and architectural remains. Executed in van der Aa’s workshop, the engravings often drew on earlier antiquarian sources but were presented in a format that reflected the 18th-century revival of interest in classical antiquity.
Conceived as a comprehensive resource for scholars, the Thesaurus also became a visual library for artists and thinkers of the early Neoclassical age, preserving and disseminating the legacy of ancient Italy through both scholarship and imagery.
Sheet with margins.
