Basilica of Maxentius
- Photographer
- Louis-Auguste Bisson, French, 1814–1876
- Date
- c.1860
- Material
- Albumen print
- photographed in
- Rome, Lazio region, Italy, Europe
- Classification
- Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- image: 14 1/16 × 17 3/8 in. (35.7 × 44.1 cm)
mount: 20 1/2 × 27 3/16 in. (52.1 × 69.1 cm)
framed: 23 1/8 × 29 1/8 in. (58.7 × 74 cm) - Credit Line
- Friends Endowment Fund
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 234:1979
NOTES
Louis-Auguste Bisson’s image focuses on the forceful geometries of three massive barrel vaults—marvels of engineering. The Basilica of Maxentius was the largest building in the Roman Forum and the last basilica built by the Romans, dedicated around AD 330. The northern aisle is all that remains of this once sprawling complex of bathing facilities and civic meeting halls, with statues of Roman gods throughout. The central nave, or main section, itself was destroyed by a series of earthquakes. The basilica was one of the structures whose form and function inspired American architect Cass Gilbert in his 1903 design for Sculpture Hall of the Saint Louis Art Museum.