Luigi Rossini.

Arco di Druso e Porta Capena.

18.5 x 16 inches

An etching drawn and engraved by Rossini, published in Rome in 1823.

This dramatic image is taken from Luigi Rossini's Antichita Romana, that was published in Rome in 1823. It depicts the Arch of Drusus although there is much debate over its true affiliation. Suffice to say, the arch was most probably built to carry water over the Appian Way and supply the Baths of Caracalla.

Rossini is often compared to Piranesi, under whom he studied, but his work is considered to be more accurate and less romantic in its portrayal of the ruins of ancient Rome. Rossini has been called the last great etcher of Roman antiquities and his work is highly sought after by antiquarians and collectors alike. He was working in an age when people were anxious to learn more about classical civilisation and were keen to see a true to life representation of the archaeological ruins. He was a pupil of the Academy of Bologne who went to Rome in 1813 and began working on his Antichita in 1819. By 1823 he had a finished set of plates and the whole were published under the title Antichita Romana.

£475