Temple of the Sun & Moon (from: A Select Collection of Views and Ruins in Rome and Its Vicinity)

 

James A. Merigot

  1760 - 1824 (biography)

1798  

aquatint with handcoloring 

5 11/16 x 8 7/8" image size; 8 x 10-13/16" platemark 

name engraved in publication line below title 

unstated 

title and publisher's information engraved below image 

 

antique-white J Whatman Turkey Mill wove 

published 

J. Merigot & R. Edwards 

24872 

$200.00 

The title of this piece reflects the overt romanticism of Roman ruins by Neoclassical artists in the 18th century, manifesting in the renaming of temples to suit a more fanciful idea of the ancient past. The actual name of this structure, situated on the eastern edge of the Forum, is the Temple of Venus and Roma. It was erected in 134 AD by Hadrius on the burial grounds of Emporer Nero, replacing his original "domus transitoria" which burned to the ground in 64 AD. Over time the building has slowly decayed due to damage from fires and earthquakes as well as the removal of expensive materials that once decorated its walls to decorate Old St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.