Garden views

Suite of 8 etchings, 1601, signed and dated at lower edge.

Examples in what seems to be the second state, with the address of Mattheus Greuter on lower part
"M. Greuter exc. 1623".

Beautiful works, printed on contemporary laid paper with “circle with three mountains” watermark (like Briquet 11933 and seen in four more engravings), trimmed to platemark, in excellent condition.

Maggi’s suite of the gardens combines fictitious elements with architectural details that really existed in Rome, such as the Basilica of San Lorenzo outside the Walls, Villa Medici and the Gardens of the Quirinale.

A Roman illustrator and engraver, he realized the collection called Bichierografia, 1600 drawings for windows which he finished in 1604 and dedicated to Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. In 1609 he signed a working agreement with the publisher Giovanni Orlandi, for whom he realized engravings depicting churches. His plates have been mentioned in Vaccari's selling list of 1614. His production of landscapes and antiques engravings was very significant, such as the series: Libro di tutte le guglie, 1600 ( depicting the spires of Rome) and Ornamenti delle fabbriche antiche e moderne dell’alma città di Roma, 1600 (depicting the decorations of ancient and modern factories in Rome).

Gandellini wrote about this artist that he was a very skilled Roman painter, illustrator and engraver, mentioning some of the subjects he realized, especially the churches one has to visit to receive the Indulgence, such as S. Maria del Popolo. He also related about a huge perspective work depicting the city of Rome and the fact that Maggi was not able to finish it for he had not enough money to carry on with the project as he had wished; for that reason, it was finally carved on wood blocks by Paolo Maupin. Gandellini mentioned also the fact that the artist worked together with Domenico Barriera to depict fountains in Rome, Tivoli and Frascati. He closes the description of Maggi mentioning the fact that he had been quite a good-humoured man, who enjoyed funny stories.

The series presented hereby is very rare.