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Original filePiramide van Cestius
About This Work
An engraving of the tomb of Gaius Cestius, showing the marble-faced pyramid weathered by time and overgrown with shrubs. The structure is flanked by the crenellated defensive walls of the city, with small figures of travelers and pilgrims wandering near the base to provide a sense of scale. The composition emphasizes the monumental geometry of the pyramid against the atmospheric Roman landscape.
Aegidius Sadeler was the imperial engraver for Rudolf II in Prague, a court famous for its interest in Hermeticism and the recovery of ancient wisdom. This print reflects the humanist fascination with Roman 'vestigi' (remains), where ancient structures were studied as silent witnesses to 'prisca theologia' and the inevitable decay described in 'memento mori' themes.
Inscriptions(Latin)
C. CESTIVS. L. P. POB. EPVL. PR. TR. PL. VII. VIR. EPVLONVM. OPVS. ABSOLVTVM. EX. TESTAMENTO. DIEBVS. CCCXXX. ARBITRATV. PONTI. P. F. CLAMELA. HEREDIS. ET. PONTI. L. Vestigij di una Piramide di marmoro, che fu un Sepolcro di C. Cestio Settemviro de gli Epuloni, quali Epuloni furono certi Sacerdoti di Gioue, si vede oggidi murata con le mura della Citta presso la porta di San Paolo sopra la uia Hostiense, fu antichamente questa Piramide fuora della Citta per esser a quel tempo il circuito di Roma minore di quello che si uede oggidi. Marco Sadeler excudit 22.
Translation
C. CESTIVS. L. F. POB. EPVL. PR. TR. PL. VII. VIR. EPVLONVM. THE WORK WAS COMPLETED ACCORDING TO THE TESTAMENT IN CCCXXX DAYS. BY THE ARBITRATION OF PONTIVS P. F. CLA. MELA, HEIR, AND PONTIVS L. Remains of a marble Pyramid, which was a Sepulcher of C. Cestius, one of the Seven Epulones (which Epulones were certain Priests of Jupiter), can be seen today walled into the walls of the City near the Porta San Paolo on the Via Ostiense; this Pyramid was anciently outside the City because at that time the circuit of Rome was smaller than what is seen today. Marco Sadeler excudit 22
Connected Texts
Pierio Valeriano
In his 'Hieroglyphica', Valeriano discusses the pyramid as a symbol of the human soul reaching toward the divine unity, a common Neoplatonic interpretation of the shape during the Renaissance.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 157 mm x width 270 mm
architectural
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.