Porto d'Anzio

Black pencil drawing, mm 465x300, lower right: Porto d'Anzio.

Belongs to a collection of 127 works unearthed from a French antiquarian who, in turn, had acquired them from the heirs of publisher Henri-Désiré Charpentier (La Rochelle 1805 - Vertou 1882); they are all done in black pencil, some have white lead highlighting; they never bear the date and signature of the author, but only a brief caption relating to the subjects depicted. The drawings denote a skilled and expert hand - especially in the delineation of buildings, ruins and architecture - that restores the monuments of Rome from interesting and unusual perspective points. The reference of most of the drawings to some of the tinted lithographs by Felix and Philippe Benoist, published in the three-volume work Rome dans sa grandeur, immediately became clear. The fact that this is a large group of original drawings related to the famous work edited by Henri-Désiré Charpentier is clearly supported by the prestigious provenance; it is a part of Charpentier's heir fund, among which the material of the famous chalcographic workshop had been divided.

Rome dans sa grandeur. Vues, monument ancient et modernes was printed in Paris in 3 volumes, in 1870. The publication, illustrated by 100 lithographs, was preceded by a campaign of preparatory drawings, dating from 1864 until 1869, executed mainly by Félix Benoist and partly by Philippe Benoist. On the eve of the Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano I, on August 11, 1869, Pius IX decreed the creation of a Roman Exhibition of the works of every art executed for Catholic worship, which was inaugurated, on February 17, 1870, in the cloister of the Carthusian monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli. On that occasion, the three folio volumes Rome dans sa grandeur were presented. The lavishly bound volumes, with the coat of arms of Pius IX stamped in the center in gold, are divided into three sections. The first volume deals with ancient Rome, the second, with Christian Rome, and the third, with the monuments and achievements of modern Rome. A valuable view of papal Rome on the eve of Rome's profound transformation into the capital of united Italy. A document that highlights the remarkable imprint left by Pius IX on the Eternal City. The work represents the French artist's masterpiece, so much so that it places Benoist among the ranks of the greatest artists of interiors and views of his time.

The sheets used for the preliminary studies vary in size (from 170 mm x 240 to 490 x 300 mm), weight and even color gradation (from beige to green).  Many of the drawings undeniably represent different preparatory stages - more or less complete - of some of the dyed lithographs illustrating the magnificent work, others of the silographic vignettes included in the text, while other sketches do not find translation in print. Belonging to this second group are both sketches relating to monuments and views of Rome and its surroundings: ancient Ostia, Grottaferrata, Olevano Romano, Anzio, Nettuno, Velletri and Vicovaro. Far beyond from Rome are drawings relating to Naples and Loreto. The suite was to form part of the entire fund, later dispersed, of preparatory studies from which the hundred intended for lithographic printing were selected.

The drawing, not translated into one of the lithographic plates in Rome dans sa Grandeur, depicts a fascinating perspective of the port of Anzio. It should be pointed out that to indicate the site of the ancient Volscian city, the names of Porto d'Anzio - shown on the drawing - and Capo d'Anzio were mainly used, but Nettuno is also found, the urban nucleus with which Anzio was associated until 1857 when, by the will of Pius IX it became a municipality in its own right.

The drawing is to be related to the final chapter of the volume Rome Moderne, entitled Environs de Rome - Etat Pontifical edited by P. Jeanson; the environs of the Eternal City are decribed by following a circular route that, starting from Ostia, crosses the Latium vetus to Circeo, then follows through Cori and the Castelli Romani, crosses the province of Frosinone and the territory formerly inhabited by the Ernici, continues through Sabina, visiting Subiaco, Vicovaro and Tivoli, and finally Etruria (Veio and Viterbo) to return to Rome.

“Porto d’Anzio, point intermédiaire entre Ardée et Terracine, est situé sur la mer, à l'extrémité d'un golfe qui lui forme une charmante perspective. C'est une petite ville ou plutòt un village peu animé, avec quelques belles habitations. Il y a des fortifications, une petite garnison et un petit dépòt de forçats. Tout cela ne constituerait pas un motif suffisant d'intérèt pour faire entreprendre un voyage long, à travers un pays difficile, désert, tout plein d'occasions de gagner une fièvre et de perdre sa bourse. L'on vient pourtant à Anzio et beaucoup. Son beau climat, sa belle situation le font rechercher des Romains pendant la saison des bains de mer; les touristes y accourent pour ses souvenirs et les débris d'une splendeur bien notée dans l'histoire.

Antium fait une assez belle figure dans la chronique des agrandissements dc Rome. Qui dit Antium rappelle les Rostres, monument plus célèbre qu'important, et qui dut son nom le plus ordinaìrement. usité aux proues enlevées aux navires antiates et apportées au Forum pour y orner la tribune aux harangues.

Rome, qui avait ruiné la marine d'Antium, la releva plus tard, les circonstances ayant changé, et cette ville redevint florissante avec un port très-fréqucnté. Les travaux d'art de cet ancien port se sont conservés presque tout entiers, seulement aujourd'hui ils ne rendent aucun service utile. Sous le pape Alexandre IV, la peur que les Turcs ne s'établissent sur cette plage suggéra l'idée de combler les anciens bassins, et on les mit à peu près dans l'état où nous les voyons aujourd'hui.

On rencontre à Porto-d'Anzio, outre ces restes des constructions du port, beaucoup de ruines se rapportant à des édifices évidemment importants. Les plus curieuscs à observer sont les galeries souterraines situées près de l'ancien palais Corsini; ce sont probablement d'anciens magasins. Tous les monuments qui nous ont transmis ces ruines sont inconnus. Les fouilles en ont révélé seulement l'antique splcndeur par les chefs-d'reuvre d'art qu'elles ont restitués à la civilisation. Comme exemple, il suffit de citer l'Apollon du Belvédère. Enfin, un éclat d'un autre genre s'attache encore à la renommée d'Antium. C'est ici que sont nés Caius Caligola et Néron” (Rome dans sa Grandeur, Rome Moderne, c. V, pp. 6-7).