Demonstration panel showing technique for raising travertine and marble blocks for the construction of the tomb of Cecilia Metella, Rome, from "Le Antichità Romane"
Giovanni Battista Piranesi Italian
In this print, the eighteenth-century artist and antiquarian Piranesi illustrates various machines and methods used in construction during Roman times. Foregrounded in this image are metal hooks, ropes, and timber abutment used in the lifting of heavy travertine and marble blocks. In three suspended presentation scrolls in the background, he provides further context for how these tools are used as part of hoisting procedures. Each element in the print is labeled with either a letter or a number, referring to the legend below containing written explanations.
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