XVIII century Views of Rome
(9) Tempera on paper, 9 x 14 cm; with frame 34 x 40 cm
During the seventeenth century the fashion of the Grand Tour spread among the aristocracy, a fashion that continued in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the traditional journey carried out with the aim of improving knowledge and knowledge could last from a few months to three or four years and touched the major European cultural centers, usually ending in Italy.
Engravings of the cities, or small-format paintings, made to preserve the memory and memory of this journey began to spread. The nine tempera colors can be combined with this use, albeit characterized by a decidedly above average quality and attention.
A typical example of this phenomenon for Rome are Piranesi’s engravings marked by a dramatic intonation, marked by an idea of ??Roman dignity and magnificence, expressed, as in the nine watercolors, through the grandeur and isolation of the architectural elements and the small size of the figures, so as to arrive at a sublime feeling of grandeur of the ancient past.
In these nine cards we find represented the Campo Vaccino, the current area of ??the Forums, the Piazza del Campidoglio, created by the marvelous architectural direction of Michelangelo, the Colosseum from the outside and from the inside, St. Peter’s Square, the ruins of the Castle of ‘Acqua Giulia, a fountain now disappeared also known as “Mario’s Trophies”, due to the discovery of some sculptures in the Middle Ages, probably made in the Domitian period (81-96 AD), the Trajan column, built by the Emperor Trajan for celebrate the victory over the Dacians in 113 d. C., the remains of the tablinum (the living room) and of the apse of the domus aurea, the large urban villa built by Nero between 64 – 68 AD.
They are characterized by an excellent pictorial quality, evident in the definition of spaces and architectures, represented by life with great attention to detail and a strong monumental sense to convey the grandeur of the city. The recurring presence in some papers of two young men, one dressed in red, the other in blue, may perhaps be associated with the two young men who were making the great journey.
