Italy - Rome; Auber - Proclamation de la République Romaine, le 27 Pluviose, An VI - 1806

Technical data

Title: Proclamation of the Roman Republic, on the 27 Pluviose, Year VI
Author: Antoine-Charles-Horace, called Carle Vernet (1758–1836)
Engravers: Jean Duplessi-Bertaux (1747–1819), aquafort; Delvaux jeune, completion of the plate
Publisher: Chez Auber, Éditeur et Propriétaire, according to the editorial data of the work
Location: Paris
Epoch: 1806; event depicted: February 15, 1798
Technique: Copper-engraved intaglio on copper, worked in aquatint and finished with burin, with manual colorization
Support: Paper
Dimensions: Imprint about 29 × 40 cm; sheet about 39 × 54.5 cm
Inscription: At the bottom «Drawn by Carle Vernet», «Engraved by aquatint by Duplessi-Bertaux» and «Finished by Delvaux jeune»; title and date of the event beneath the view
Composition: Single plate relating to the work Campaigns of Napoleon, First Emperor of the French and King of Italy

Description

Historical view of the proclamation of the Roman Republic in the Capitoline Hill square, which occurred on February 15, 1798. Carle Vernet arranges the scene in front of the Senate Palace: the stairs and the architectures of the square frame a crowd of citizens, cavaliers, and soldiers, gathered around the monument and the emblems of the new republic.
The breadth of the architectural space and the variety of groups animate the narrative of the event. The engraved stroke defines with precision façades, figures, and details of the foreground; the manual colorization distinguishes the costumes, the flags, and the surfaces of the buildings. The title engraved in the lower margin identifies the subject and preserves the date according to the French Revolutionary calendar.

Historical-artistic note

Carle Vernet was among the interpreters of contemporary history in French art between the Revolution and the Empire. The plate transforms a political episode into an articulated public scene, in which the Capitoline offers an immediately recognizable reference. The inscriptions distinguish the contribution of Duplessi-Bertaux in the aquaforte from that of Delvaux jeune in completing the engraving.

Condition Report

Clear impression, with manual colorization. Slight bloom and scattered stains, more evident in the margins, and minor undulations of the paper. On the verso, blank, there are some creases and waves; the margins are preserved.