Italy - Rome // Colosseum; Attilio Zuccagni-Orlandini ( 1784–1872) - "Veduta interna dell’Anfiteatro Flavio comunemente detto il Colosseo, in Roma", - 1821-1850

An enchanting and rare nineteenth-century engraving that depicts the interior of the Colosseum in a romantic and picturesque light, typical of the Grand Tour’s imagination.
The work is historically precious because it documents the monument’s condition before the great modern archaeological excavations: the arena appears partially buried, covered by dense spontaneous vegetation and animated by small figures in period costumes. On the right side, in the background, the edicule of the Via Crucis with the cross is clearly visible, established in 1750 by Pope Benedict XIV and subsequently removed.

The sheet preserves its wide original margins beyond the copper plate impression and the lower text.