Drawings of the Ruins of Rome

Drawings of the Ruins of Rome – Amilcare Pizzi – MS M.1106 – The Morgan Library & Museum (New York, USA)

Rome (Italy) — Ca. 1574–1575

Ancient Rome as a Renaissance place of longing: an impressive panorama of the 16th-century Roman cityscape with intriguing attempts to reconstruct the ancient ruins, embedded in sculptural frames

  1. It was once attributed to the French architect and draftsman Étienne Dupérac (c. 1525–1604), which has since been revised

  2. The anonymous artist creates an impressive panorama of 16th-century Rome in 46 vedute, some of which cover two pages

  3. The work is a testimony to the contemporary perception of history and reception of antiquity, and at the same time an important source on the history of the city

Drawings of the Ruins of Rome

MS M.1106 The The Morgan Library & Museum, (New York, USA)
  1. Description
  2. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Drawings of the Ruins of Rome

The Drawings of Ruins of Rome by an unknown Roman artist create an impressive panorama of the ancient ruins of the glorious city in 46 monochrome vedute. In partly double-page, sculptural, and artistic frames featuring antique motifs and Renaissance forms, highly recognizable cityscapes of Rome are revealed in great detail. Particularly impressive are the juxtapositions of the ruinous 16th-century state of some buildings and the pictorial attempts to reconstruct their original, ancient appearance. In this way, the decay is repeatedly emphasized, while at the same time dreams of the then idealized Roman antiquity are evoked. The work is thus a fascinating testimony to the perception of history and the reception of antiquity in the late Italian Renaissance. At the same time, its captions and numerous inscriptions with names of buildings, streets, and squares also make it an informative and significant source of urban history.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Zeichnungen der römischen Ruinen
Disegni de le ruine di Roma
Disegni de le ruine di Roma e come anticamente erono
Du Pérac Codex
Size / Format
78 pages / 25.0 × 20.0 cm
Origin
Italy
Date
Ca. 1574–1575
Language
Illustrations
46 full and double page pen and ink drawings
Content
Elaborate vedute of the 16th century Roman cityscape with a romanticizing focus on ancient ruins
Previous Owners
Sir Andrew Fountaine of Narford
William Henry Corfield
Charles William Dyson Perrins
Giannalisa Feltrinelli

Available facsimile editions:
Drawings of the Ruins of Rome – Amilcare Pizzi – MS M.1106 – The Morgan Library & Museum (New York, USA)
Amilcare Pizzi – Milan, 1963
Limited Edition: 1000 copies
Facsimile Editions

#1 Disegni de le ruine di Roma

Amilcare Pizzi – Milan, 1963

Publisher: Amilcare Pizzi – Milan, 1963
Limited Edition: 1000 copies
Binding: Brown Moroccan leather with tooled and painted décor, according to the binding of the original manuscript.
Commentary: 1 volume by Rudolf Wittkower
Language: Italian
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€
(1,000€ - 3,000€)
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