Colosseo

Engraving, undated and signed. Work part of the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae.

Inscribed at the top center: "THEATRVM SIVE COLISEVM ROMANVM".

Inscribed at the bottom center: "Nicolai uan Aelst Bruxellensis formis Romae".

The plate, cut in the subject and with numerous abrasions of inscriptions still visible, let us believe that it is the reprint of an older copperplate, perhaps of the original probably engraved by Beatrizet and published by Lafreri, slightly reduced in size - perhaps because ruined - and to which is added the title "THEATRVM SIVE COLISEVM ROMANVM".

This is the first state of the plate

https://www.antiquarius.it/it/lafreri-speculum-romanae-magnificentiae/13915-colosseo.html

The Van Aelst issue is not described either by Rubach or Alberti. Rubach describes three states of the work; after Lafreri's death the plate was inherited by Stefano Duchetti and then sold to the publisher Paolo Graziani (1585) who in 1586 joined Pietro de Nobili – of which is known a second reprint of the plate. Later on, the plate was purchased by Marcello Clodio, who reprinted it (about 1589). Probably Nicolas van Aelst came in possession of the plate; to the edition of van Aelst followed that of Giacomo De Rossi, around the half of the XVII century. The watermark of our example "lily in the circle with letter C" indicates us that it was printed in the first thirty years of the XVII century. According our historical reconstruction, therefore, it would be the fourth state of five of the work.

According to Silvia Bianchi "The work is a copy in the same verse as the one attributed to Nicolas Béatrizet and bears at the top left an inscription on three lines with the title [...] the address of Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi (not known in Hülsen) replaces the previous address of Nicolas Van Aelst, abraded.

Reconstruction of the Colosseum in section and horizontal projection. The engraving derives from the one published for the types by Antonio Salamanca in 1538, probably on a drawing by Domenico Giuntalodi and engraving by Girolamo Fagiuoli. Much in demand, the print was then reissued in smaller format by Antonio Lafréry, with probable carving by Nicolas Beatrizet. The building was built on the site of the artificial pond that was at the foot of the Domus Aurea. The works under the emperor Vespasian reached the third order and were completed by his son Titus, who in the year 80 A.D. ordered a second spectacular inauguration that lasted for one hundred days during which about 5000 fairs were killed.».

This print comes from the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (The Mirror of Roman Magnificence).

The Speculum 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.

Beautiful proof, printed on paper with watermark "lily in the circle with letter C" with margins, in excellent state of preservation.

Bibliografia

cfr. B. Rubach, Ant. Lafreri Formis Romae (2016), n. 275; cfr. A. Alberti, L’indice di Antonio Lafrery (2010), n. A111a; Marigliani, Lo splendore di Roma nell’Arte incisoria del Cinquecento (2016), nn. II.42, II.7; C. Hülsen, 1921, pp. 145-46, 18, C; C. Falcucci, 1994, t. 40; Bianchi 2004-IV, S. 9, n. D 32.