Luigi Rossini

Interno del Pronao del Tempio di Vesta, in Roma

14 x 18.5 inches

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

This strikingly linear image is taken from Luigi Rossini's Antichita Romana, that was published in Rome in 1823. We are inside the famous Temple of Vesta looking outwards through the colonnade. It is one of the few circular temples in Rome and was constructed in the Greek style. Through the railings we get a tantalising glimpse of the adjacent Temple of Fortuna Virile.

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.

£625