Artwork

Templum Iunoni, ac Iovi Pavellennio (The Temple of Juno and Jupiter)

Templum Iunoni, ac Iovi Pavellennio (The Temple of Juno and Jupiter) is an ink print by the Baroque artist Giovanni Francesco Costa. It dates from 1748 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower center in image: Templum Iunoni, ac Ioui Panellennio ab Adriano Imp: dicatum, Bibliotheca et Gymnasium Picturis et Statuis undique exornatum, / AEdificiorumq: reliquias quibus Athenas ampliauerat, es. probatissimus Scriptoribus collegit, delineauit et Sculpsit Io: Franc: Costa Venetus / Atq. Ornatissimo et Clarissimo Viro Car: Eman. Comiti de Groscanal bonarum Artium cultori eximio carunq. Vindici Acerrino / D. D. D.

About this work

A building stands in the center, its tall columns glowing in moonlight.

A building stands in the center, its tall columns glowing in moonlight. Rough lines surround it, like the artist scratched them in a hurry. You can see Jupiter’s eagle and Juno’s peacock carved above the arch.

This was a real temple in Rome. Costa etched it in 1748, long after the temple fell to ruins. He used drypoint, a way to scratch lines into metal that hold ink. The paper feels warm and rough under your fingers.

Try printing with ink at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Overview

Templum Iunoni, ac Iovi Pavellennio is an etching on laid paper created by Giovanni Francesco Costa in 1748.

Subject & Meaning

The etching depicts a ruined temple, likely in Rome, with the carved symbols of Jupiter and Juno above an arch. The scene is illuminated by moonlight, highlighting the temple's columns.

Technique & Style

Costa employed drypoint technique, scratching lines into the metal plate to create the image. The resulting print features rough, expressive lines surrounding the central temple structure.

History & Provenance

The etching represents a temple that had long since fallen into ruin by the time Costa created his work in 1748.