De larvis scenicis et figuris comicis de Francesco de Ficoroni

A glimpse in the lost world of the antique Roman theater is delivered by a work of the 18th century with an astonishing overview of various masks. The writer of the exciting work was the Roman archeologist, antiquarian, and collector Francesco de Ficoroni (1664–1747), who could deal with the relics of Roman antiquity by digging them up himself. His printed work about the masks and comical figures of the antique theater is wonderfully illustrated with a total of 85 engravings, which visualize a grandiose variety of theater masks and thus offer unmitigated entry to this unbelievably exciting topic.

Exciting Artifacts from Antiquity

Terrifying grimaces await the beholder. Then there are more comical facial features that are worn by the masks. Gaping mouths, effusive beards, expressive eyes, and much more characterize the grotesque masks and figure of the antique theater.These already played an important role with the Greeks in the beginnings of theater. In their recourse to the Greek tradition, Roman Theater adopted these typed masks for the direct expression of the emotional states of the figures. The history of this theater has also been closely linked from its beginnings up to the present with this kind of disguise. In the engravings, which illustrate the magnum opus of Francesco de Ficoroni, these grotesque masks and figures are impressively presented. Its depictions show masked actors in stage play and whole pages with the variety of antique theater masks.

The Magic of Antiquities Research in the 18th Century

The significant Roman antiquities researcher Francesco de Ficoroni not only gave an understanding his historical and archeological research as a tour guide of moneyed travelers on their grand tour through Italy. He was also the author of numerous works, which allow us today to emerge ourselves in this exciting period of archeology, when it was still possible to dig up important relics of history with one’s own hands. In doing so, Ficoroni could make important discoveries, which entered into history. For his merits in archeology and the knowledge of Roman Antiquity, he was, among others, made a member of the Royal Society in London.

Exhilarating Reading, Then and Now

In his magnum opus, Francesco de Ficorini dealt with the theme of the antique theater. In 1736, published in Italian under the title of Le Maschere sceniche e le figure comiche d'antichi Romani descritte brevemente, the work was soon translated into Latin, which was highly-esteemed by scholars and interested parties at that time. Now it bore the title De larvis scenicis et figuris comicis antiquorum Romanorum. The printed work with 85 engravings encompasses 312 pages and offers a truly comprehensive all-round view over the theme of antique theater masks. The baroque, artistic furnishings of the splendid printed work was taken over by the engraver Francesco Mazzoni and Silvestro Pomarede, with whom Ficoroni had already collaborated on other works. Francesco de Ficoroni’s exciting, educational, and entertaining work about the masks of antique theater was printed in Rome by Antonio de Rossi. Even today, the document has lost none of its magic, which allows the beholder and reader to immerse themselves in the world of antique theater.