Joseph Mallord William Turner

The subject of this drawing is the southern façade of the Arch of Constantine with the Colosseum beyond. Dating from the fourth century AD, the Arch of Constantine was built to celebrate the victory of the Emperor Constantine over his co-ruler Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Unlike the nearby Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus, it had been fully excavated and restored by 1804, and Turner was therefore able to experience it as it was meant to be seen; an impressive free-standing structure standing at the top of the Via di San Gregorio.1 The monument was renowned for the well-preserved state of the decorations adorning the exterior, many of which were taken from other buildings dedicated to earlier emperors. Turner’s study provides a careful and methodical record of those bas-reliefs and their placement across the Arch. It also incorporates a copy, albeit slightly inaccurate, of the Latin inscription from the attic. Turner’s transcription reads:

The actual text is thus:

Visible through the left side arch of the monument is the remains of the Meta Sudans, a conical fountain dating from the first century AD. It was demolished in 1936 by Mussolini to enable traffic to circle the Colosseum but the excavated foundations can still be seen today.