The So-Called Temple of Minerva Medica

Series TitleThe Views of Rome

Artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720-1778)

Datemid-18th century

MediumEngraving

DimensionsPlate: 18 3/8 × 27 5/8 inches (46.67 × 70.17 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number32-69/54

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The temple of Minerva Medica is today unattractively situated near the main railway station in Rome. In the engraving, the ruins have much vegetation growing on them, which was common at the time, but today most vegetation has been cleared. Minerva Medica signifies Minerva, the goddess of medicine, but in fact the building was more likely to have been a temple dedicated to the nymphs of a nearby spring.

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