James Merigot. (Temple of the Sun & Moon). Ruines de Rome. London 1796-98. $195.00

"Temple of The Sun & Moon"

James Merigot (1760–1824) was a French engraver and publisher who is known for an attractive album of 62 aquatinted plates designed and engraved by Marigot himself. Titled A Select Collection of Views and Ruins in Rome and its Vicinity. Recently executed from Drawings made upon the spot. The plates are dated 1796-1798 and are printed on watermarked laid paper with descriptive text in English and French. Many similar books were produced during the late 18th and early 19th centuries due to the rise of Neo-classicism among the British populace. This work was unique in its particular attention to the accurate depiction of the Roman ruins. Merigot visited each of the ruins and drew them in person, making this historically significant as an important record both of Ancient Rome and the state of Roman ruins at the turn of the 19^th century. It also is a reminder of how the city would have looked at the height of the Romantic era when Rome embodied many Romantic ideals, not least the traces of a vanished civilization.

"Antiquarians, notwithstanding their most elaborate researches, are not agreed with respect to the origin of this temple; the greater number are of opinion that it was consecrated to the Sun and Moon. These ruins excite the most pleasing emotions, they occasionally present to the eye of the curious traveller the most striking effects of light and shade. The fountain, which plays in the center of these venerable remains, spreads on every side a refreshing coolness, delightful to the stranger fatigued with literary research."

Uncolored sepia toned aquatint engraving.
9.5 x 12 inches sheet size.
Excellent condition.