Idealized Reconstruction of the Circus Maximus

Piranesi’s visual reconstruction of the landscape of ancient ruins south of the Palatine with the Circus Maximus makes clear reference to the work of 16th century antiquarians, including Pirro Ligorio and Onofrio Panvinio. The triumphal columns, censers, obelisks, and sculptures adorning the spina (the route bisecting the arena) can all be distinctly identified, their positioning deriving in part from the attempted reconstructions of the Cinquecento, as well as from depictions on ancient coinage. This specific portion of the drawing provided the template for the second frontispiece in the third part of Antichità Romane, a suite of etchings in four volumes published by Piranesi in 1756. It should be noted that a number of monuments have been added to the foreground of the picture; meanwhile, significant modifications to the architectural composition of the background cast doubt upon whether Piranesi really intended to create an accurate representation of the Circus Maximus, or – as the often fantastical features of the drawing seem to suggest – an idealized visualization of an archetypical arena.