La presente Figura dimostra una armatdura è vero Incanallatura delle Volte di Sa. Pietro…

Engraving, 1561, by Jacob Bos for the publisher Antonio Lafreri and part of the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae. 

Example of the first state of three (first of two for Rubach that does not describe Van Schoel's last issue), before Giovanni Orlandi's imprint.

The engraving reproduces the armor used by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and Michelangelo for the construction site of St. Peter's Basilica. Of great interest are the measures of reference expressed in Roman foot, Greek foot, Palm of the Architects, cane de' mercatanti, arm de' mercatanti.

Inscribed at the top left: «La presente Figura dimostra una armatura o uero Incauallatura delle volte di Sa[n] Pietro Di Roma fatta da M[ast]ro Ant[onio]o Da Sa[n] gallo et ancora meßa inopera da Michael Ang[elo] Buonaroto pur nelle medesime uolte fatte da luj. e uolendo sapere la sua misure [sic], disotto a detta ue [= c’è] la Canna Romana partito [sic] in parte 10 detti palmj».

Inscribed in the top right hand corner: «Sara utile à qual si uoglia persona hauer meßo nella presente Carta le misure antich[e] e moderne qual sono tolte da quelle steße di campidoglio. seruono à architettj muratorj e[t] falegniamj et a mercantj et ad altrj artierj ch[e] esercitano le misure apartenentj alla loro perfeßione».

Signed and dated at the bottom left: “Ant.o Lafrerj Sequanj Formis - Roma Anno 1561”.
Signed at bottom right: “Iacobus Boßius Boßius Belga Sum[m]a diligentia circino excepit in aesq[ue] incidit”.

The work appears in the catalog Lafreri - Index 201: Figura del armatura ouero incuallatura delli uolti di detto tempio con tutte le misure adoperate dagli antichi & moderni.

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.

Magnificent proof, printed on contemporary laid paper with “pilgrim in the circle with star” watermark, thin margins, in excellent condition.

Bibliography:
B. Rubach, Ant. Lafreri Formis Romae (2016), n. 370, I/II; A. Alberti, L’indice di Antonio Lafrery (2010), n. 96, I/III; Marigliani, Lo splendore di Roma nell’Arte incisoria del Cinquecento (2016), n. VIII.9; C. Hülsen, 1921, p. 162, 97, A; F. Borsi, 1989, p. 307; S. Corsi - P. Ragionieri, 2004, p. 66; N. Gramaccini - H. J. Meier, 2009, p. 65; M. Mussolin, 2009, p. 300; González de Zárate 1992- 1996, II, p. 26, n. 9.