Subject taken from the Acts of the Apostles (VII, 55-60). The scene in the scriptures is set in Jerusalem, represented here as a generic Roman city: in the background is the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, reproduced with some artistic license (for instance, there is no record of a chapel existing atop the monument) but nonetheless recognizable by its shape, the cladding of the drum, and the characteristic frieze.

Accession number: 1082
Oil on copper
4 x 53 cm
Poelenburgh, Cornelis van, also known as Bruxo, Satiro, (Utrecht, c. 1594 or 1595 – Utrecht, 1667). Dutch School

​Location
​Musée du Louvre
​Credits
​Musée du Louvre

Bibliography
Catalogue des peintures flamandes et hollandaises du Musée du Louvre, a cura di J.  Foucart, Paris 2009, pp. 101, 201

View of the ancient Appian Way with the Basilica of San Sebastiano on the left and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella on the right. Above the tomb, in the background, the Alban Hills with the city of Frascati. The watercolor technique highlights, through the use of dark shadows, what appears to be a quarry next to the road. Caption:  “F. Towne del.t Rome 1781”

Accession number: Nn,1.12
Pen and ink and watercolor
20,6 x 27,1 cm
Francis Towne, 1781

Location
British Museum

Credits
British Museum

​View of the Church of Sant’Urbano alla Caffarella. The monumentality of the building is emphasized by the representation of minute figures around it. A series of ruins are present in front of the church.

Accession number: 1886,1124.38
Etching
410 mm x 621 mm
Giovanni Battista Piranesi 1760-1778

​Location
Rijksmuseum

​Credits
Rijksmuseum

Bibliography
Wilton-Ely, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the complete etchings, San Francisco 1994, p. 184
A. M. Hind, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a critical study, London 1922, p. 48
H. Focillon, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Essai de catalogue raisonné de son œuvre, Paris 1918, p. 753

View of the interior of the Church of Sant’Urbano as it appeared in the 18th century, very similar to its current appearance, though elements are present that are no longer visible today, such as a series of vases on the cornice above the altar. The image is enlivened by the presence of various figures, some of whom are wearing religious garments that suggest they may be friars.

Accession number: 1886,1124.67
Etching
42,5 x 60,4 cm
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1760-1778

Location
Rijksmuseum

Credits
Rijksmuseum

Bibliography
Wilton-Ely, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the complete etchings, San Francisco 1994, p. 214
A. M. Hind, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a critical study, London 1922, p. 81
H. Focillon, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Essai de catalogue raisonné de son œuvre, Paris 1918, p. 752