The Arch of Septimus Severus (1820): Artwork and History

The Arch of Septimus Severus (1820) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Luigi Rossini Italian, 1790-1857.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Luigi Rossini trained as an architect in Bologna before moving to Rome in 1813, where he had more success as an artist. Following in the footsteps of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Rossini began a series of etchings of Rome’s constructed marvels. His extensive knowledge of structural design proved valuable for his accurate, detailed portrayals of sites such as the antique arch of Septimus Severus. Whereas Piranesi tended to exaggerate his scenes, Rossini remained grounded in his realistic representations. Because Rossini’s depictions are so precise, his prints serve as important records of Rome’s architectural heritage.

Object facts

• Title: The Arch of Septimus Severus
• Date: 1820
• Artist attribution: Luigi Rossini Italian, 1790-1857
• Place of origin: Italy
• Medium: Etching on off-white wove paper
• Dimensions: Image: 46 × 64.1 cm (18 1/8 × 25 1/4 in.); Plate: 46.7 × 65.2 cm (18 7/16 × 25 11/16 in.); Sheet: 51.3 × 68.8 cm (20 1/4 × 27 1/8 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1887.256

Collection credit

Elizabeth Hammond Stickney Collection

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.