Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae. Statue of the River God Tiber.

Image is not available

Maker

(publisher)
1512-1577
(engraver)
born 1507 or 1515, died ca. 1565 (Life dates)

Title

Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae. Statue of the River God Tiber.

Date of Production

1544 - 1577

Medium

medium : material : ink & support : material : paper

Dimensions

Height: 33.2 cm
Width: 54.8 cm

Object Number

B.1978.PG.102.68

Mode of Acquisition

Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978

Credit

Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Location

Not currently on display

Label Text

The Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (‘Mirror of Roman Magnificence’), one of the most celebrated print collections of the Renaissance, is unique in that no two known examples are alike. Antoine Lafréry, a French publisher based in Rome, kept a large stock of prints depicting Roman antiquities, sculptures and contemporary architecture, from which clients could make a selection according to their individual interests. The volume was then bound with a standard frontispiece.

Inscriptions

Inscription: 82

Inscription: ECCE TIBI CANDIDE LECTOR TIBERIS FLVVI SIMVLACHRVM EID LVPA ROMVLVM REMVM QVE / CONDITOREIS VRBEIS LACTANS INDICAT DVPLICI LAVDE INSIGNE ET SCVLPTURAE MAIES. / TATE ET IN EIVS FLVMINIS PROPRIEIS EXPLICANDEIS EXCELLENTIA CORNVCOPIAE / ENIM AMNIS VBERTATEM DEMONSTRAT LVPVS OVIS ARIES VVLPES EQVVS SVS / HEIC EXPRESSA FREQVENTIA SUVNT CIRCA FLVVIVM ANIMALIA EIVS OPPORTV. / NITATEM NAVIGIA ONERA SECVNDO ADVERSO ADQVE TRANSVERSO FLVMINE / PORTANTIA HOMINES QVE IN EO NATANTES ET PISCANTES CVM AEDIFI. / CIEIS DECLARANT EIVS AQVA CVM SIT OMNIVM SALVBERRIMA / PER LONGA TEMPORA PRAETER CAETERARVM NATVRAM IN QVOVIS VA. / SE EXTRA ALVEVM SVVM INTEGRA CONSERVATVR ET IN COR . / RVPTA A CVIVS ETIAM COLORE ALBVLA AB ANTIQVEIS / APPELLATVS EVIT NVNC TIBERIS A REGE EIVS NOMI. / NIS VEL IVXTA EVM CAESO VEL IN EO SVBMERSO / DICITVR ORITVR IN APOENINO ET IN TYRRHE. / NVM DEFLVENS DVOBVS ET XL FLVMI. / NIBVS AVEGTVR EST AVTEM / HOC EX ANTIQVO MARMOREO / SIMVLACHRO QVOD IN / VATICANO ADHUC EXTAT DI. / LIGENTER DEFORMATVM ET / IN HAC TABELLA ANT. LA. / FRERI AENEIS FORMIS AD AMVSSIM / EXCVSVM

Provenance

Information not yet known or updated

Literature

Zorach, Rebecca, The Virtual Tourist in Renaissance Rome: printing and collecting the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae, Chicago 2008
Parshall, Peter, 'Antonio Lafreri's Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae' in 'Print Quarterly', 2006 - pp. 3-28; XXIII (I)
Huelsen, Christian, 'Das Speculum Magnificentiae des Antonio Lafreri' in Collectanea Variae Doctrinae, Florence 1921 - pp.121-170
cat.60.A (1)
Fig. p. 155

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