This woodblock print by Utagawa Toyoharu is based on a European print of the classical ruins in Rome. It reveals the 18th-century Japanese fascination for scenes of the ‘exotic West’. The image itself has been copied accurately, probably from an example imported into Japan by the Dutch, who were the only Europeans permitted to trade in the country at this time. However, the bright orange and salmon hues give the scene a fanciful appearance. Curiously, the Japanese inscription on the right refers to a church in another part of Europe.