Description
Description of Carlos Antonini's Manuale di Vari Ornamenti
These detailed engravings are from the work entitled Manuale di Vari Ornameti by Carlos Antonini. After the discovery of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the excavation of a decaying Rome in the 18th century, Europe was hungry for more. There are two series attached to this work. The first was published from 1781-1790 and included 100 exquisite engravings of the carved rosettes which decorated the interior ceilings of many ancient monuments along with many outstanding engravings of ancient Roman vases. The second series, also published under the name Manuale di Vari Ornamenti (subtitle: Componentia la Serie De'Vasi Antichi) were presumably published at a later date and features, as the name implies, wonderful engravings of ancient Roman vases. All the prints are original, from the late 18th- early 19th centuries, and are could only have been created by the most capable engravers and artists. They are on fine woven, watermarked paper. They vary in size between ~8 3/4" by 13 3/4" and 9 1/4" by 13 3/4".