The Praetorian Camp 1641

Editor: This plate, “The Praetorian Camp” by Giacomo Lauro, shows an architectural drawing of a Roman camp. It feels very formal, like a blueprint. What do you make of it? Curator: It reminds me of architectural fantasies, blueprints to nowhere. Look at the precision, yet it's an imaginative leap, reconstructing a past that probably never quite existed like this. Lauro’s showing us not just a camp, but an idea of Roman power. What do you think those tiny figures within the camp represent? Editor: Maybe a sense of scale? I didn't think of them at first. It's interesting how the image blends the practical with something almost dreamlike. Curator: Exactly! It's the push and pull between reality and ideal that keeps me coming back.