This is an attractive 19th-century pen and ink drawing that shows a distant view of Nero's Aqueduct (Arcus Neroniani) at the Porta Maggiore in Rome.
The arches of the aqueduct are seen in the distance - and a group of people is shown in the foreground to give a sense of scale to the architectural features. I love the cute inclusion of the tiny little poodle walking along the roadway and the lady at the back carrying a pot of water on her head. The open road in the foreground adds a panoramic feel to the drawing and also shows that in the 1820s parts of Rome were still very much rural locations nearly 200 years ago and were still surrounded by open green spaces.
It is signed with a monogram lower right and also bears the date 1827. The study is also titled along the lower right margin. I have been unable to identify the artist from the monogram and it is probably a work by a local artist for sale to tourists visiting the site or by an artist who is touring Italy and making sketches of ancient buildings that they have visited.
A similar study of the aqueduct (but much earlier in date and a more sketchy study from nearly the exact same spot) by the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Busiri is in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. It seems that the aqueduct has been a popular site for artists and travellers for many years.
Dimensions: The frame is 30 x 37 cm. The image size is 15 x 22 cm.
Condition: In excellent antique condition with no issues. There is a fragment of a Van Gelder watermark that can be seen in the sky area, upper right when the sheet is held to the light.
This is a fine antique pen and ink drawing with lots of detail and I have taken lots of close-up photographs for your inspection.
HISTORY: The Porta Maggiore ("Great Gate") was a monumental entrance to Rome, consisting of the decorated arches of two Roman aqueducts. The great roads of Rome left the city at this point. Nero's Aqueduct was built by the Emperor Nero between 54-68 AD. as a branch of the Claudius aqueduct to feed the Domus Aurea, his sumptuous residence. It was later extended by Domitian to supply his palace on the Palatine.
There was a renewed interest in travel in the early 19th century - with Europe starting to open up again to the tourist trade with the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Grand Tours were very much in favour - but on a much-reduced scale than the Tours that were completed in the 18th century. Visits to Rome to see its architectural wonders and its antiquities were always extremely popular and the City was certainly an important stop-off point with European tourists.
UK Postage would be about £10 for tracked postage with either Royal Mail or Parcelforce48. This will be applied at the checkout.