CALLOT - COLLIGNON. Veduta di Roma.

XVII century

Etching and burin. 102x250mm. Small margins. Laid paper. Composition framed by a thin line. Bottom left: 'Israel ex. cum privil. Regis'. Good specimen.

Magnificent general view of Rome. In the background the Roman countryside; to the right, a very high wall, the bastion of Castel Sant'Angelo, surmounted by a sentry box under which is the Pope's coat of arms; near the sentry box, there is a soldier looking over the wall. At the back of this wall are seated two men and, towards the centre, two other smaller ones, who are also seated. A little further to the left, and in the background, we see a church with a quadrangular bell tower surmounted by a dome; is the church of San Girolamo. Finally, on the far left, there is a building, pierced by numerous windows, above which appear the two bell towers of the Church of the Trinità del Monte. In between various houses and trees.

The engraving has been attributed, by Faucheux, to J.B. Collignon, a pupil of Callot, based on a design by Silvestre. The British Museum, however, attributes the engraving to Callot: «This plate was published as part of Callot's set of 12 landscapes made in Florence (Lieure 268-277). The series is problematic: see comment on 1861,0713.1318. Mariette and Meaume both attribute the execution of the set to Collignon, and the design of the present plate to Silvestre.» According to Faucheux, it is part of Sylvestre's suite ‘Diverses vues de Rome et des environs’.