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Original fileZuil van Trajanus
About This Work
This architectural print centers on the massive Roman triumphal column, detailed with its spiraling relief carvings of the Dacian Wars. The column is shown in a partially excavated state, surrounded by various buildings, including the domed church of Santa Maria di Loreto in the background. Small figures of pedestrians and a horseman are scattered across the foreground to emphasize the monumental scale of the ancient ruins.
Aegidius Sadeler was the imperial engraver for Rudolf II in Prague, a major center for late Renaissance humanist study and Western esotericism. This print belongs to a series documenting Roman ruins, reflecting the era's obsession with recovering the 'prisca sapientia' (ancient wisdom) and historical grandeur of antiquity through meticulous visual recording.
Inscriptions(Latin)
Disegno della colonna Traiana, che fu da lui drizzata in mezzo al suo foro dove si vede con maravigliosa arte scolpita di basso rilievo d'ogni intorno la guerra di Dacia con altri gloriosi gesti di questo principe Questa colonna e d'opera Toscana e alta CXXIII piedi, vi si monta in cima con CLXXVIII gradi. Qui dice Dione che furono riposte le ossa di questo Principe. Hora si vede detta colonna sana e senza esser guasta dal fuoco, eccetto un pocho a basso nel piedestale. Marco Sadeler excudit. 31.
Translation
Drawing of the Trajan column, which was erected by him in the middle of his forum where one sees carved with marvelous art in low relief all around the Dacian war with other glorious deeds of this prince. This column is of the Tuscan order and 123 feet high; one climbs to the top by 178 steps. Here Dio says that the bones of this Prince were deposited. Now said column is seen whole and without having been damaged by fire, except a little below in the pedestal. Marco Sadeler excudit. 31.
Connected Texts
Cassius Dio
The inscription explicitly cites the Roman historian Dion (Cassius Dio) regarding the placement of Emperor Trajan's remains within the column.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 160 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.