Dupérac - Ruine di Roma - 1570-1963

ROME RISES FROM THE RUINS: THE RARE COPY OF THE CELEBRATED CODEX DU PÉRAC
Precious anastatic reproduction of the famed Renaissance codex dedicated to ancient Rome. A spectacular sequence of views, archaeological reconstructions and monuments of the eternal city. The plates show temples, baths, circuses, amphitheaters and large Roman architectural complexes. The refined decorated binding reproduces that of the old manuscript now conserved at the Morgan Library. Milanese edition of 1963 produced by Amilcare Pizzi in only 1,000 copies, sought after by collectors of Rome, architecture and art facsimiles. The Morgan Library & Museum
ABSTRACT
"Disegni de le ruine di Roma e come anticamente erono" is one of the most fascinating iconographic documents dedicated to the Renaissance rediscovery of ancient Rome. The original codex, attributed to Étienne Dupérac, collects views of the city in the 16th century and ideal reconstructions of the monuments in their supposed ancient configuration. The images thus allow an ideal comparison between the ruin observed by the artist and the reconstruction of the Roman building, turning the work into an extraordinary testimony of emerging antiquarian archaeology. This volume is the refined facsimile edition published in Milan in 1963 by Arti Grafiche Amilcare Pizzi, produced with particular attention to paper, the tones of the originals and the binding.
WHY TO BUY
A work with a very strong visual impact, particularly interesting for collectors of views of Rome, Renaissance architecture, archaeology, urban history and fine art facsimiles. The decorative value of the volume is notable thanks to numerous full-page and double-page plates, the monumental reconstructions and the richly colored editorial binding. The limited edition of 1,000 copies increases its bibliographic appeal. Particularly striking are the comparisons between sixteenth-century Rome and the ideationally reconstructed imperial Rome, with views of the Colosseum, the Theater of Marcellus, the great imperial baths, circuses, naumachiae, palaces and monumental complexes.
MARKET VALUE
The complete 1963 edition consisted of the facsimile volume, a introductory and commentary volume by Rudolf Wittkower, a publishing folder and, in complete configurations, the related editorial case. On the antiquarian market, complete copies in varying conditions are offered with very variable valuations; for the facsimile volume shown in the photographs, a realistic range would be between 300 and 450 euros.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Hard editorial binding, crafted after the historic binding of the manuscript, with rich multicolored and gold arabesque decorations, borders and ornamental frames; spine fully decorated. Special paper of strong thickness. Slight signs of handling and wear compatible with age. Interior with natural yellowing of the paper. Binding with modest signs of rubbing at edges and corners. In old books with a centuries-long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI Visualizations. Refer to the original photographs to verify the actual condition of the object. The images are part of the description. Pp. (2); 76; (2).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Disegni de le ruine di Roma e come anticamente erono.
Facsimile of the Renaissance manuscript known as the Du Pérac Codex, published in Milan by Arti Grafiche Amilcare Pizzi in 1963.
The original manuscript is today preserved at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, MS M.1106.
Étienne Dupérac.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The codex belongs to the great sixteenth-century era of study and reinterpretation of classical antiquity. Rome, transformed into an immense workshop for architects, antiquarians and engravers, attracted artists from all over Europe eager to document what remained of imperial buildings and to reconstruct their idealized appearance. The peculiarity of the work lies precisely in the alternation between views of the monuments in their contemporary state and imaginary reconstructions of ancient Rome, often taken from similar viewpoints. This method makes the codex simultaneously a topographic document, an architectural repertory and a fundamental testimony of Renaissance antiquarian culture. Subjects include the Colosseum, the Theatre of Marcellus, the great imperial baths, circuses, naumachiae, palaces and monumental complexes, all set within elaborate Mannerist frames. The original manuscript, probably conceived as a prestige work, remained unfinished.
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Étienne Dupérac, known in Italy as Stefano Du Pérac, was born in France around 1520-1535 and died in Paris in 1604. Painter, draftsman, engraver, architect and garden designer, he spent a significant portion of his career in Rome, where he specialized in topographical representations of the city and its ancient monuments. Among his most celebrated works are the large perspective plans of ancient and modern Rome and I vestigi dell’antichità di Roma, published in 1575. After returning to France he also worked as an architect and garden designer. The attribution of the Disegni de le ruine manuscript to Dupérac is traditional and widely accepted, but not considered definitively documentary.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The original is not a 16th-century printed book but a parchment-illustrated manuscript, executed in the second half of the 16th century and generally dated to around 1570–1580. The Morgan Library describes it as an album containing forty-six panoramas and reconstructions, probably destined for a person of the highest rank and unfinished. The codex passed through prestigious collections, including those of Sir Andrew Fountaine, William Henry Corfield, Charles William Dyson Perrins and Giannalisa Feltrinelli; some ex-libris and provenance marks are reproduced in the facsimile, as visible in this copy. In 1963 Arti Grafiche Amilcare Pizzi of Milan produced one of the most refined facsimile reproductions of the manuscript, in 1,000 copies, accompanied by a study by Rudolf Wittkower. The volume was produced with a special reproduction technique designed to reproduce the ink tones, the visual texture of the papers and even the appearance of the precious original binding.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
Rudolf Wittkower, Disegni de le ruine di Roma e come anticamente erono, Milano, Arti Grafiche Amilcare Pizzi, 1963.
Thomas Ashby, A Topographical Study in Rome in 1581, London, 1916.
H. Zerner, Observations on Dupérac and the Disegni de le Ruine di Roma e come anticamente erono, The Art Bulletin, XLVII, 1965.
Morgan Library & Museum, New York, MS M.1106, Disegni de le ruine di Roma e come anticamente erono.
James S. Ackerman, recensione dell’edizione dei Disegni de le ruine di Roma, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 1964.