Palazzo dei Cesari

Black pencil drawing, mm 466x308, datable to 1864-1869 circa.

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.

Preratory study for the plate Veduta Generale del Palazzo de’ Cesari sul Palatino, presa dal Monte Aventino included in the v. I Rome Antique.

The first systematic excavations on the Palatine were begun in the 18th century (1720-1729) under the direction of Francesco Bianchini, continued later by the French abbot Rancoureuil and, in the early 19th century, by the Napoleonic prefect de Tournon. Beginning in 1848 and over a twenty-year period, The Palatine had gradually passed into papal ownership at the behest of Pius IX; In 1860 Napoleon III bought the Farnesian Gardens from the King of Naples, Francis II of Bourbon, and entrusted its archaeological excavations to the talented architect Pietro Rosa. By 1870, archaeological excavations on the Palatine were being conducted both by the French, at the behest of Napoleon III, and by the Italians, under the patronage of Pope Pius IX, whose generosity is emphasized by the authors:

“Le noble dessein de rendre à la lumière les restes du palais des Césars, dessein proposé sous les derniers pontifes et demeuré sans effet par suite de difficultés locales, s'était réveillé à la vue du succès que M. le chevalier Pietro Rosa obtenait dans les jardins Farnèse, que Napoléon III avait acquis du roi de Naples. Pourvu de fortes sommes, et n'éprouvant aucune difficulté, l'habile archéologue de l'Empereur a élucidé plusieurs points historiques et tracé la topographie de l'ancien palais, en faisant mieux connaìtre des monuments célèbres avant et après l'existence de ce palais.[…] En acquérant de ses propres deniers, sur le Palatin, tous les terrains qui pouvaient être acquis, Pie IX a élevé l'importance des fouilles au niveau de sa dignité elle-même, et nous espérons que le jour n'est pas éloigné où le Pape et l'Empereur, unissant leurs recherches dans une action commune, donneront une pleine satisfaction aux voeux des savants et des artistes, et pourront plus facilement rétablir l'ensemble des monuments palatins, qui, plus que tous les autres, attestent les grandeurs et les vicissitudes de l'empire romain” (Rome dans sa grandeur – Rome Antique, c. II, p. 68)

Two plates are devoted to the Palatine excavations, the second of which corresponds to the preparatory study of this drawing: “Deux planches importantes ont été consacrées dans cet ouvrage aux principaux aspects de ces fouilles. L'une, prise sur le sommet du Palatin, représente la partie la plus intéressante des fouilles françaises : un Nymphée, un vaste Triclinium, et la Bibliothèque; l'autre, non moins curieuse, nous montre l'état des fouilles pontificales sur le versant occidental du Palatin, le côté aspectant sur le grand Cirque, en face du mont Aventin” (Rome dans sa grandeur – Rome Antique, c. II, p. 68)

After Unification of Italy, the gardens passed to the Italian government, thus forming the first nucleus of the Palatine's state property.

The last image, which is not for sale, represents the tinted lithograph included in Rome dans sa grandeur. Vues, monument ancient et modernes, and allows us to compare it with the preparatory drawing.