Palatium Valerianu[m], from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman Antiquity

Palatium Valerianu[m], from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman Antiquity

Anonymous, Italian, 16th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Perspectival depiction of part of a palace, referred to as the ‘Palatium Valerianu[m]’ set in a stylized landscape. The building is characterized by a tower with a monumental aedicula on the left side. The right side of the building consists of three floors and three bays. The central bay is marked by an avant-corps which contains a sculpture in a niche on the ground floor level. The building is crowned by a large cupola with a pointed tip. The print is part of a group of architectural prints depicting buildings from Roman Antiquity, ranging from triumphal arches to bath houses, temples and palaces in Italy, France and Spain. Some of the buildings have been artificially reconstructed based on Medieval descriptions, while others are depicted in their ruinous states. The plates are known in several (uncatalogued) states, and have undergone minor changes over time. Several titles of buildings have been changed, and the plates have been cropped as a result of plate cracks and oxidation. Most copper plates for this series have been engraved on both sides. This print, however, does not match any of the other prints in size. Its verso may contain a composition for a different subject.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Palatium Valerianu[m], from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Valerianu[m], from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Valerianu[m], from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Valerianu[m], from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Valerianu[m], from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman Antiquity

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.