Amphitheater of Verona

Amphitheater of Verona, reconstruction.

Engraving, 1560, signed and dated at bottom right: “Romae Anno ∞ D L X Autou[ii] Lafrerij Sequani formis ad genitum archetypum fidelissime expressa”. Work part of Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae.

Example of the first state of three, with the address of Lafreri. Later the plate will be reprinted by Giovanni Orlandi in 1602 and by Hendrick van Schoel (about 1614).

Inscribed at the top center: “Amphitheatri Veronen[sis] diligens et accurata delineatio, quod ludis publicis, gladiatorio muneri, et ferarum venationib[us] exhibendis, Imp[eratoris] Caes[aris] Aug[usti] suasu, post bella ciuil[ia] pace Pop[ulo] Ro[ue] terra mariq[ue] parta, nobilißima colonia Verona, opere rustico, in foro boario extra Vurb[is], moenia, aere publico collocauit. Vnum omnium quae nobis antiquitas reliquit, Ciuium perpetua diligentia, et quantum humana ope præstari potuit, magis a temporum iniuria præseruatum. Anteriorem enim porticuum partem, quam alam vocant, ingenti terremotu quaßatam, anno salut[is] 1117 corruisse annalibus Veronensium proditum est”. [Accurate and faithful drawing of the Veronese amphitheater, in opus rusticum, intended for public ludi, gladiatorial combat and the hunting of wild beasts, which the very noble colony of Verona, with public money, placed in the Bohemian forum, outside the city walls, on the advice of Emperor Caesar Augustus, after the civil wars and after the Roman people had been given peace on land and sea. The only one that antiquity has left us, for the uninterrupted diligence of the Citizens, preserved from the wear and tear of time as much as possible with human care. The Veronese annals hand down that the front portico, called "wing", collapsed in the year 1117, shattered by a great earthquake].

Built in the first century with stones obtained from the Lessinic mountains, what today is called “the arena of Verona” originally had different dimensions. In 1183 (and not in 1117 as written in Latin) an earthquake caused the first outer wall to collapse. Destined to host gladiatorial shows in Roman times, in the early Middle Ages it was practically abandoned. As for many ancient monuments, its stones were used for the construction of the city. In the following centuries it was used again for carousels and bull hunting, as it happened in Rome at Testaccio.

This print comes from Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (The Mirror of Roman Magnificence). The work found its origin in the publishing endeavors of Antonio Salamanca and Antonio Lafreri. During their Roman publishing careers, the two foreign publishers - who worked together between 1553 and 1563 - initiated the production of prints recording art works, architecture and city views related to Antique and Modern Rome. The prints could be bought individually by tourists and collectors, but were also purchased in larger groups which were often bound together in an album. In 1573, Lafreri commissioned a title page for this purpose, which is where the title Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae, first appears. Lafreri envisioned an ideal arrangement of the prints in 7 different categories, but during his lifetime, never appears to have offered one standard, bound set of prints. Instead, clients composed their own selection from the corpus to be bound, or collected a group of prints over time. When Lafreri died, two-third of the existing copper plates went to the Duchetti family (Claudio and Stefano), while another third was distributed among several publishers. The Duchetti appear to have standardized production, offering a more or less uniform version of the Speculum to their clients. The popularity of the prints also inspired other publishers in Rome to make copies however, and to add new prints to the corpus.

Magnificent proof, rich in tones, printed on contemporary laid paper with watermark “wolf holding a coat of arms in a circle with crown” (Woodward n. 223), with original margins added. Slight paper folds, otherwise in excellent condition.