Temple of Remus and Romulus
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 19th 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.
"This temple was erected to Romulus by Tatius, king of the Sabines. Its situation at the foot of the gardens and palace of the Caesars is very picturesque. The edifice exhibits one of the earliest monuments of the lords of the universe; its simplicity affords a striking contrast with the profuse magnificence of the palace raised in its vicinity by the Caesars, and of which some scanty ruins only now remain, whose grassy summits project over the temple of Romulus."
Uncolored sepia toned aquatint engraving.
9.5 x 12 inches sheet size.
Excellent condition.
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