Italy - Rome; Giacomo Lauro (attivo a Roma tra la fine...

Rare and evocative ideal view of the famous water amphitheatre structure commissioned by Emperor Nero in the area of the present Vatican. The print describes with incredible mastery the monumental nature of the Roman architecture, baroqueised according to the taste of the Seicento. At the center of the ellipsoidal flooded basin stand numerous Roman ships intent on simulating a complex and spectacular naval battle (Naumachia). At the bottom there is a wide and erudite explanatory text in Latin that describes the history, the classical sources (among which Tacitus and Suetonius) and the topography of the monument. On the right margin looms the vertical title "NAUMACHIA NERONIS" and the plate number "87". Lauro's work is historically fundamental: it represents one of the first and most grandiose attempts at archaeological and visual reconstruction of the splendors of Ancient Rome, commissioned at the time by the highest ranks of Rome's nobility and clergy. (the back of the sheet) in three languages (Italian, German and French) is a fundamental detail: it identifies this plate as part of one of the prestigious multilingual editions of Antiquae Urbis Splendor, curated and expanded by the publisher Giovanni Alto (Jan van Alten) starting from 1628-1641. The sheet presents itself intact with the original margins preserved

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