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Etienne DuPerac (French, 1525-1604). 5 engravings – 4 from “Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae” (The Mirror of Roman Magnificence) by Antonio Lafreri (Burgundian, 1512-1577). Published between 1545-1590. + 1 from “De Ludis Circensibus” by Onofrio Panvinio (Italian, 1530-1568). Published in Rome in 1566; Anonymous (French or Italian, 16th century). 2 engravings from “Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae” by Antonio Lafreri. A wonderful ensemble of seven Renaissance engravings from two Roman publications: Antonio Lafreri’s famous “Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae” and Onofrio Panvinio’s “De Ludis Circensibus.” The illustrations from Lafreri’s book consist of 4 by the French artist Etienne DuPerac – the face and verso of an Egyptian canopic vase, an Egyptian obelisk, and the sepulcher of Augustus (1575) – and 2 by anonymous artists -the pyramid of Caius Cestius (1547) and the sepulcher of Cecilia Metella on the Appian Way (1549). Size of largest (“Speculum Romanae” engravings): 13″ W x 19.3″ H (33 cm x 49 cm)
Similarly, the 1 engraving from “De Ludis Circensibus” is also by Etienne DuPerac, but in this case portrays an ancient marble relief fragment of circus games from the Palazzo Maffei near the Baths of Agrippa in Rome on the upper half and 4 circus medals from antiquity in the lower half.
Six of these prints are from the “Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (The Mirror of Roman Magnificence).” According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art: “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.”
Onofrio Panvinio was an Augustinian monk and an important Renaissance historian of early Rome, who also served as Corrector and Reviser of the books of the Vatican Library in 1556. “De Ludis Circensibus” focused on the games, triumphs, and circuses of Rome, Pompeii, and Constantinople and was profusely illustrated with engravings depicting gladiatorial combat, animal sacrifice, Roman coins, statuary, classical architecture.
Condition: All are originally part of larger codices with some foxing, staining, and minor pencil markings near peripheries. Some small tears and folds to edges. Otherwise, all are in very good condition with clear imagery and text. Each accompanied by a protective plastic film and a Royal Athena label that misattributes or misidentifies the piece.
Provenance: ex-Royal Athena Galleries, New York City, New York, USA
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