1544
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Column of Marcus Aurelius with an Obelisk is a 1544 ink by Italian 16th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
A 1544 engraving shows Rome’s tall Column of Marcus Aurelius in Piazza Colonna, carved with battle scenes. The artist used cross-hatching to shade the stone, making shadows pop against bright sky. You can still see the real column today—it’s covered in the same soldier-carved stories. Look close at the tiny obelisk next to it: it’s the same one that now tops Rome’s Fountain of the Four Rivers. Artists later copied this trick of pairing columns and obelisks to show off Roman power. This engraving lives at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
A 16th-century Italian sculptor left us small bronze works in dark brown and gold.
See the richer artist page
