Hieronymus Cock - Roman Ruins - Basilica of Constantine - 1551

Hieronymus Cock - Roman Ruins - Basilica of Constantine - 1551 / Description: Splendid early impression of the Ruins of the Basilica of Constantine on the Foroum Romanum. From the rare series:Praecipua aliquot Romanae antiquitatis ruinarum monimenta, vivis prospectibus, a series of 25 prints of Roman ruins drawn by Cock during his stay in Rome and engraved by him after his return to Antwerp.
/ Dimensions: 22,90 x 28,70 cm / Condition: A very good dark strong impression of this early etching. Printed on a dense laid paper trimmed on the margins. Skillfully repairs on the border not visible in front. Otherwise very good. / Literature: Hollstein IV: Nr 22-46. ------------- Cock journeyed to Rome between 1546-8 intending to study antique sculpture, but became fascinated with the Palatine monuments, mounting expeditions to the Colosseum and the Baths of Diocletian. The drawings for several prints, survives a.o. now in Edinburgh, and were likely executed by Cock on the spot. As the other etchings from this early series, it was etched by Cock himself in the first years after his return from Rome in 1548. As a publisher, Cock would have been well aware of the potential for ruins to appeal to collectors of art as well as those interested in Rome. The series were important and came to exert a lasting influence on landscape painting from mid-century, informing the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and Veronese. (description credit to: Christopher P. Heuer, Assistant Professor, History of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University) / Medium: Etching /Circa: a