Temple of Camenae

View of the Temple of the Camenae (Veduta del Tempio delle Camene [...]), “Views of Rome,” c. 1773, Etching on laid paper, Sheet/Page 48.26 H x 71.91 W cm (19 H x 28 5/16 W in), Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Bequest of Frank B. Bristow), GW Collection (CGA.68.26.838)

By Andrew Gibson

Giovanni Piranesi’s View of the Temple of the Camenae, stands as a shining example of a Piranesi veduta. He approaches this etching with his usual motifs: deep shadows, fanciful adornments, dramaticized decay, and a dreamlike sense of scale. Those versed in Piranesi’s etchings will notice his usual figures littered about the landscape, picking at rubble, admiring the ruins, or draped over his embedded inscriptions. Piranesi creates another world that is both familiar and fantastical. His artistic details here convey deep cultural meaning of the ancient Roman world, conjuring striking themes of a rise and fall. Via Piranesi’s command of space, light, and the moody accents that drape the temple, he conveys the theme of rebirth – a story spanning hundreds of years – to the viewer.

Piranesi’s identification of the structure in his etching as the Temple of the Camenae poses an interesting problem for the art historian to approach. In mythology, the Camenae were recognized as minor, sybil-like figures that symbolized childbirth and fertility, often in the form of flowing water. Wells, springs, and grottos were all associated with the prophetic abilities the Camenae held. The record does not give us any specific names of the Camenae, though later in history they became a Latinized version of the Greek Muses following Horace’s use of them in his writing. There is, however, a strong connection between Egeria and the Camenae. Consort to the second king of Rome, Egeria imparted the laws and rituals of Ancient Rome to Numa Pompilius. She is often depicted as a nymph, giving insight and wisdom to powerful men through the flowing of water. Piranesi includes the Grotto of Egeria in the background of this etching, possibly clueing into the symbolic connection between the two.

His identification comes to life with an interesting historical connection, as there is a strong possibility that the temple could have been a part of the Triopius, a funerary center built by Herodus Atticus in the second century, for his wife. Herodus was accused of murdering his wife, with whom he had fathered five children. To acquit himself of the crime in the public eye, he built a massive funerary center along the second mile of the Appian Way. Piranesi’s helpful inclusion of the still standing “Tempio di Bacco” in the background allows us to place his View of the Temple of the Camenae at least within the vicinity, if not precisely in, the funerary center. It would have made sense for Herodus to dedicate a temple of childbirth and fertility to his wife, who was pregnant with her sixth child at the time of her murder. Nevertheless, without any archaeological or textual evidence relating to the now-defunct temple, the structure’s connection to the funerary center is solely a theory.

The real-life Temple of the Camenae is no longer standing, but historians can approximate its location along the Appian Way thanks to the aforementioned placement of the extant Tempio di Bacco (now the Church of S. Urban at Caffarella), in the background. Although Piranesi was no stranger to artistic exaggeration, the viewer can trust Piranesi’s eye since the historical record of the latter matches his. The real building was likely smaller in scale and not as decrepit as depicted. These choices portray his version of the truth, in accordance with the mystery and allure surrounding the eighteenth-century ideal of the Roman Empire.

Oftentimes in Piranesi’s vedute, his small characters scattered throughout the scene inform the theme. The View of the Temple of the Camenae etching is lacking some of his usual characters that often allude to contemporaneous Christian art. As an example of Piranesi’s typical types of human portrayals, viewers can examine his Veduta del Tempio di Bacco piece, in which two characters stand out as particularly important. One figure is a morose and sullen man, slumped over Piranesi’s embedded inscription in the lower-left corner, resulting in a surreal depiction of a character interacting with the artwork itself. Cast in shadow, the man’s dramatic hunch and sad expression evoke a sense of dread in the face of decay. On the other hand, a woman positioned in front of the building is beautifully lit up by the sun as she looks up at the ruined temple in admiration. The contrast provided via the renderings of these two people juxtapose feelings of melancholy and degradation against the allure and charm of the ruins.

Hence, Piranesi’s vedute explore the power of capturing a moment. Full of iconic architecture, his sketches replicate a unique feeling, an understanding that reaches back through time. Through his own eyes, he shows the viewer the wonder of these ruins and the cultural significance that they impart. The Pantheon (Figure #), the Colosseum (Figure #), and Hadrian’s Mausoleum (Figure #) are just a few cardinal architectural achievements that he committed to paper. This piece depicting the Temple of the Camenae, however, is important for a different reason; Piranesi gives the same level of devoted attention to this plain temple as he did to the three greater temples. His choice and ability to capture the moment is a timeless reminder that even the simplest of architecture, both present and past, can leave an indelible mark on the human experience.

Inscription in Italian

Veduta del Tempio delle Camene, anticamente circondato da un bosco nella valle di Egeria. Si vede fuori di Porta Latina nella valle detta la Gaffarella. A. Spelanca d'Egeria. B. Tempio di Bacco aggi S.Urbano

English Translation by Andrew Gibson:

View of the temple of the Camenae, formerly surrounded by a forest in the Egerian Valley. Seen from outside the Porta Latina in the valley called la Gaffarella. A. Spring of Egeria B. Temple of Bacchus, now of S. Urban 

Dickson, Katrina Marie. Herodes Atticus: The politics of patronage. Ann Arbor: UMI, 1998.

Hardie, Alex. “The Camenae in Cult, History, and Song.” Classical Antiquity 35, no. 1 (April 1, 2016): 45–85. https://doi.org/10.1525/ca.2016.35.1.45.

Zarucchi, Jeanne. “The Literary Tradition of the Ruins of Rome and a New Consideration of Piranesi’s Staffage Figures.” Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies 35, no. 3 (January 17, 2012): 359–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-0208.2011.00459.x.

Pomeroy, Sarah B. The Murder of Regilla: a Case of Domestic Violence in Antiquity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2010