Column of Trajan in Rome: A Framed Original 19th C. Etching by Luigi Rossini

The etching is presented in a black wood frame with a light brown outer mat and a dark brown inner mat. There are several frame abrasions. The print and mats are in very good condition. The frame measures 27" high, 29.07" wide and 0.5" deep. The print is framed and matted in the identical style as the another etching of an ancient Roman landmark, the Piazza Navona, which is also listed. The pair would make an attractive display grouping of Roman architecture. A discount is available for purchase of the pair of prints.

Luigi Rossini (1790-1857) like his predecessors, Giovanni Piranesi (1720–1778) and Giuseppi Vasi (1710-1782), was an architect and artist. Like Piranesi and Vasi, he wanted to glorify the architecture of ancient Rome, which he felt was deteriorating and needed to be documented. Several of the ruins he illustrated have, in fact, since disappeared leaving only his images as a record of their appearance. His images of the grand edifices of the city dramatically depict the power and glory of ancient Rome reflected by its architecture, but were accurate enough to be used by practicing architects, as well as other serious students of classical antiquity. His art continues to influence and inspire architects, artists and those who love Rome.

Rossini was born in Rome and trained at the Academy of Bologna. Upon graduation, he moved to Rome and attempted a career as an architect. As he was not economically successful as an architect, he became a full-time artist, initially producing souvenirs for local collectors, wealthy and aristocratic European tourists on the Grand Tour, as well as for architectural students and practitioners all over Europe. Many of his prints were published in several imperial folio sized collections, including Le Anchita Romane (The Rome of Antiquity).