1650
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Veue du Campo Vacine et Colisée a Rome is a 1650 ink by Israël Silvestre, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white drawing shows Rome’s Colosseum rising in the middle, surrounded by smaller buildings and trees. A river runs along the bottom, with a few tiny figures walking or riding horses. The sky is light, with wispy clouds, and the whole scene looks orderly but busy. The title at the bottom calls it *Veue du Campo Vacine et Colisée a Rome*—that’s an old way of writing "view of Campo Vaccino and the Colosseum." The artist used lines to show depth, making the ruins look grand even in simple ink. Next, check out etching to see how artists like this carved images into metal plates.
Israel Silvestre (13 August 1621 in Nancy – 11 October 1691 in Paris), called the Younger to distinguish him from his father, was a prolific French draftsman, etcher and print dealer who specialized in topographical views and perspectives of famous buildings.
See the richer artist page
