A View of the Ruins of the Baths of Caracalla

A View of the Ruins of the Baths of Caracalla — Giovanni Battista Lusieri. 1779–81.

Medium: graphite, pen and black ink, watercolor. Dimensions: Support: 53.3 x 68.6 cm (21 x 27 in.); Matted: 66 x 86 cm (26 x 33 7/8 in.); Image: 50.9 x 65.7 cm (20 1/16 x 25 7/8 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Lusieri was known among his Grand Tour patrons for his meticulous technique and his originality: for example, his choice of an unusual view of the Baths of Caracalla, as here, taken from within the ancient site. With an astonishing commitment to the truthful depiction of nature and ruins, and an extreme awareness of the nuances of light at different times of day, he depicted the ruins in the late afternoon. The presence of figures emphasizes the massive scale of the ruins in the warm Italian sun in this significantly large, impressive sheet, a welcome souvenir to his patron, an English Lord, when he returned to England.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.