Architectural Fantasy

Engraving, 1550 circa.

Unlettered, printed on contemporary laid paper, in very good condition.

From the series: Prospettive et Antichità di Roma by Michele Greco.

Dedicated to Cardinal Guido Ascanio Sforza, the series is the result of a collection of drawings made by the author. The number of plates is different for each specimen, by a minimum of twenty to a maximum of forty-seven.

The first twenty tables, that follow the title page undated and dedication, consist of perspective views of generalized buildings, somewhat ruined; composed of arches and classical porticos, often with squared flooring. In some cases, the scenes are populated by small figures.

These fantastic views are original creations by Michele Lucchese but they are based on the series Vue d'optique, published in 1551 at Orléan, by the architect and engraver Androuet du Cerceau.

Compared to the French model, Lucchese makes a number of major changes, starting from the format: Du Cercau’s images were all printed with circular fields on rectangular sheets of paper; Lucchese in his copy expanded the composition to a rectangle.

About the dating of the Lucchese's series, a secure terminus post quem is 1551, the year of publication of the Vues d'Optique. M. Bury, however, dates the series to 1563-64.

Probably, the first 20 plates were executed between 1554 and 1557, since in the dedication to Cardinal Sforza the author refers to la superba “fabrica…ch'ella fa hora”. This building would be the Sforza palace of Proceno, the only building that the cardinal has built and whose works started in 1554, while in 1557 a part of the building resulted livable.

The other plates, original inventions by Lucchese, with various Roman views, seem to be executed later and related to the years 1578-80; therefore, it is possible that these plates have been added only in a second time to the original series.