Elevation of Giulio Romano's House (recto); the Ruins from the Caelius Aqueduct and Temple of Claudius in Rome (verso)

Renaissance representation of classical ruins was a symbol of antiquity, enlightenment, and lost knowledge. Ruins spoke to the passage of time. The greatest subject for ruin artists was the overgrown and crumbling Classical Rome remains. Forum and the Colosseum, Pantheon, and the Appian Way. Initially, art representations of Rome were realistic, but soon the imagination of artists took flight. Roman ruins were scattered around the city, but frustrated artists began placing them in more pleasing arrangements. Capriccio was a style of imaginary scenes of buildings and ruins.

Giovanni Battista Naldini was an Italian Mannerist painter who was born in Florence in 1535. He studied under Jacopo Pontormo and later became a member of the Accademia del Disegno. Naldini's early work was heavily influenced by his teacher, but he eventually developed his own style, characterised by bright colours, dramatic lighting and complex compositions. Naldini's most famous works include frescoes in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence depicting scenes from the life of Cosimo I de' Medici. He also painted altarpieces for several churches in Florence and other towns in Tuscany. Naldini was highly regarded by his contemporaries and was considered one of the leading painters of his time. He died in Florence in 1591.