Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Porta Maggiore, Originally an Archway of the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus
Giovanni Battista PiranesiLinkedCulture matchlcp-4ee1b5daa952
- Date
- 1775
- Medium
- Etching and engraving
- Department
- European Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 55209
Even the ancients recycled their architecture. The Porta Maggiore was originally built as a decorated segment of two aqueducts (structures for channeling water) built in 52 CE. The aqueducts brought Romans fresh water from sources miles away. The loss of adjacent segments of stonework has revealed two openings on the left side of the upper section, showing where water passed through the Porta Maggiore. In addition, two major roads ran through its larger arches. Later planners filled in the arches to incorporate this structure into the walled fortification surrounding Rome, and it became the main gate on the city’s east side. Italy, Europe
The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Get printable QR codesHide QR codes
Open QR codes for this object page and the museum record. They stay collapsed until needed.
Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- The William M. Ladd Collection Gift of Herschel V. Jones, 1916
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Minneapolis Institute of Art and other institutions.