The Baths of Caracalla. Bird's-Eye View

Piranesi made his reputation with his prints of Roman ruins. These are generally fairly accurate, but here the viewpoint is set artificially high to give a better idea of the architectural details and ground plan of the building itself. The dark shadows in the foreground contrast with the main body of the ruins and evoke the brightness of the Italian sun. The distant prospect looks quite rural. In the 18th century, much of the city of Rome was sparsely populated, and cows even grazed in the Roman Forum.