Palatium Claudie Imperatoris, from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman Antiquity

Palatium Claudie Imperatoris, from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman Antiquity

Anonymous, Italian, 16th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Perspectival view of the right side of palace of Emperor Claudius, as indicated by the inscription ‘Palatium Claudie Imperatoris’. The building consists of three stories crowned by a balustrade and three of what is likely a five bay façade have been depicted. The left bay (the central bay of the façade) shows the entrance way, marked by an avant-corpse with its own attica and a pediment. It is not clear whether this rendition is based on a specific building in Rome or whether the printmaker is relying on his imagination based on a description of the palace in an historic source. 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 Claudie Imperatoris, from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Claudie Imperatoris, from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Claudie Imperatoris, from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Claudie Imperatoris, from a Series of 24 Depicting (Reconstructed) Buildings from Roman AntiquityPalatium Claudie Imperatoris, 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.