Second View of the Baths of Diocletian
1550
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1550
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
You see an old Roman bathhouse with crumbling walls and arched windows. The lines are sharp and scratchy. It feels old even for its time. This is an etching. That means the artist scratched the image onto a metal plate with acid. The paper holds the ink from these scratches. It’s like drawing with light and acid. Look up the artist Hieronymus Cock next. He made many views of ruins like this.
