The Pyramid of Cestius, Rome
1665
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1665
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a tall, pointy pyramid standing in the middle of Rome, with a crumbling old gate beside it and small houses tucked into rolling hills. This pyramid was built in 12 BC as a tomb, but by the 1600s it was just a weird landmark that tourists and artists loved. The artist drew it from a spot where the land rises, so the pyramid looks even taller. The hills and ruins make it feel like a quiet corner of the city. If you like old travel sketches, look up *chiaroscuro*—the way light and shadow shape the scene here.
