Books and Manuscripts

Piranesi, (Giovanni Battista)
Colonna Antonina
(Rome, 1758). Etching on wove paper. Presumed third (or fourth) state (of seven). 30 5/8 x 21 3/4 in. (778 x 552 mm). In mat and in frame, 34 x 26 3/4 in. (864 x 679 mm). Hind 52; Piranesi: Rome Recorded 19

A handsome impression with wide margins of Piranesi's view of the Column of Marcus Aurelius, one of the earliest views from his series, Vedute di Roma. "Some time between 180 and 193 A.D., the Roman Senate commemorated Marcus Aurelius' victories on the Danube by erecting a column, often called the Antonine Column after the emperor's family name. Although the inscription does not survive, the column was probably dedicated to Marcus Aurelius and his wife, whose bronze statues surmounted it. Sixtus V replaced these with a statue of St. Peter, and removed the reliefs on the base as well. With its height of 100 Roman feet and its scroll freize, it unabashedly imitates the earlier Column of Trajan." (Piranesi: Rome Recorded, p. 58)