Artwork
Ruins on the Palatine with a Panoramic Landscape
Ruins on the Palatine with a Panoramic Landscape is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Hieronymus Cock. It dates from 1550 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:upper left in plate (in clouds): .L.; upper right in plate: RVINARVM PALATII MAIORIS CVM / PARTE SEPTIZONY PROSPECTVS .3.; lower right in plate: HIRONIMVS / COCK.FECIT / 1550
About this work
Overview
Ruins on the Palatine with a Panoramic Landscape is an etching on laid paper created by Hieronymus Cock around 1550. It is a representative work of Cock, a Flemish painter, etcher, and prominent print publisher who played a significant role in the development of the printmaking industry in northern Europe.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts ancient ruins on the Palatine Hill in Rome, set within a detailed landscape. The scene shows crumbling structures overgrown with vegetation, with a distant cityscape and cloudy sky in the background. The work is characteristic of the landscape genre, capturing the historical significance of the site.
Technique & Style
The etching is executed in fine lines, creating a detailed and textured representation of the ruins. The use of etching allowed Cock to achieve a high level of precision, rendering the cracks, shadows, and other details of the scene with clarity.
History & Provenance
Hieronymus Cock was a prolific print publisher, producing over 1,100 prints during his career. As the head of a major publishing house in Antwerp, he contributed significantly to the industrialization of printmaking in northern Europe.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Hieronymus Cock, or Hieronymus Wellens de Cock, (1518 – 3 October 1570) was a Flemish painter and etcher as well as a publisher and distributor of prints.
