drawing;
album
- Museum number
- 1955,1210.10.58
- Description
-
Interior of a tomb on the left of the Via Appia with arched openings; formerly in an album
Watercolour over graphite
Verso: Another version of the recto
Graphite
- Production date
- 1789-1794
- Dimensions
-
Height: 490 millimetres
-
Width: 640 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- For an introductory comment see 1955,1210.10.1
The inscription on the Vatican version of this drawing reads: "Inside View of a Sepulchre on the left of the Via Appia". Jatta believes this to be the interior of the left hand side tomb of the previous drawing (1955,1210.10.57), while Ashby (1903, p. 391, n. 4) thinks this is the interior of 1955,1210.10.59; both note that Piranesi has depicted this round building in 'Antichità Romane' (II, 36 and 37). Piranesi indicates this monument as 'near' the Vigna Buonamici, while the ones in the previous drawing he claims to be "in" the Vigna Buonamici (III, 9 and 20). If the tomb in this drawing is indeed the one depicted by Piranesi in 'Antichità Romane' III, 36-37 it is then what is now referred to as 'Mausoleo degli Equinozi'. It would seem that, at the time Labruzzi made the drawing, the interior of the tomb was half buried underground and Piranesi mentions that the windows were partly filled with earth (under III,36), but depicts the interior more like it appears today, that is much deeper. As Jatta suggests (oral communication) it is possible that Piranesi's archeological mind imagined what the mausoleum would have looked like if excavated.
Watermark: beehive in a shield [of U.59 ?]
For a thorough study of Labruzzi's works on the Via Appia see: P.A. de Rosa - B. Jatta, 'La Via Appia nei disegni di Carlo Labruzzi alla Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana', Città del Vaticano B.A.V. 2013.
Variations of the drawing: BAV, Vat. Lat. 14930(48); ASL, Bibl. Sarti, vol. I, 39.
Lit.: T. Ashby, 'Dessins inédits de Carlo Labruzzi', in "Melanges d'archeologie et d'histoire publiès par l'Ecole française de Rome", XXIII, 1903, pp. 375-418; De Rosa - Jatta, cit., under cat. 48, p. 220.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1955
- Acquisition notes
- This item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45. The British Museum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1955,1210.10.58