Part of the Via Flaminia 1639 - 1640

Bartholomeus Breenbergh created this print, Part of the Via Flaminia, in the 17th century. The print depicts a section of the ancient Roman road, capturing the timelessness of the Italian landscape. Breenbergh, a Dutch artist working in Italy, was part of a community interested in the picturesque qualities of the Roman Campagna. This image encapsulates that interest through its depiction of classical ruins and the daily lives of ordinary people. The print also reflects the growing interest in landscape as a genre, and a burgeoning tourist industry that consumed such images of Italy. Prints like these served not just as records but as active participants in shaping how people viewed and understood their world. By studying this image, and the networks of artistic exchange that made it possible, we can better understand the cultural values of 17th-century Europe.