Plate 13: a townscape with a fountain, fallen column and statue at right and a Gothic church beside an aqueduct in the background 1743

Curator: Here we have “Plate 13: a townscape with a fountain, fallen column and statue at right and a Gothic church beside an aqueduct in the background," an etching by Davide Antonio Fossati, dating from 1743. Editor: What strikes me is this powerful contrast. Nature seems to be gently but surely reclaiming a majestic past, with ruins softened by foliage. There’s a sense of melancholic beauty here. Curator: Yes, the fallen column, the ruined aqueduct... it speaks of the impermanence of even the grandest achievements. Fossati masterfully uses the etching technique to give us this crumbling beauty. Think about how printmaking preserved the memories of places. Editor: Indeed, and there’s so much symbolism layered here! Fountains, for instance, are age-old emblems of life and renewal, especially within cityscapes—aren't they often central to rebirth myths, too? Curator: Good point! That statue atop a fractured foundation? Could be an attempt to resurrect the classical past through art? Even its decay mirrors our personal struggles against oblivion, don’t you think? Editor: I can’t disagree there, Fossati even sets a Gothic church right against the aqueduct, and I am drawn to consider this collision as representative of time. Curator: Quite insightful! A Gothic church placed deliberately amidst Classical Roman ruins brings forth this idea that humanity is ever-evolving, forever adding and amending its layers over civilizations past. Editor: Seeing those few, rather ordinary people meandering around in this decaying splendor amplifies a particular feeling—doesn't it invite us to consider our contemporary life within its grand tapestry of shifting epochs and forgotten dreams? Curator: Agreed. And it's those contrasting structures which reveal how different cultures shape and reshape meaning onto shared landscapes, blending temporalities into our experience! Editor: To witness how past glories crumble while simple everyday living goes on - the eternal play! This piece feels a poetic mediation about that persistent resilience embedded within passing moments. Curator: The lasting impression this print gives, for me at least, comes from its intimate invitation—an encouragement perhaps that compels its observers not to just gaze on scenes depicted, but feel a timeless message woven cleverly in its etching strokes...