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The Excavation of an Obelisk from the Campo Marzo

ca. 1749
Not on view
This obelisk had been unearthed in 1748 when small houses behind Palazzo di Montecitorio were torn down in order to construct a new building for the Augustinian monks of S. Maria del Popolo. The obelisk was found broken into five major pieces.
This plate shows a pulley system used to move the blocks. The block on the far left has a dedicatory inscription by Emperor Augustus. To the right of the plate is Palazzo della Vignaccia, in the courtyard of which the obelisk was temporarily relocated.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Excavation of an Obelisk from the Campo Marzo
  • Artist: Jean Barbault (French, Viarmes 1718–1762 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1749
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 9 15/16 × 13 13/16 in. (25.2 × 35.1 cm)
    Plate: 7 1/2 × 11 1/4 in. (19 × 28.6 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
  • Object Number: 62.661.36
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Recueil de divers Monumens Anciens répandus en plusieurs endroits de L'Italie, Jean Barbault French, Etching and engraving
Recueil de divers Monumens Anciens répandus en plusieurs endroits de L'Italie
Multiple artists/makers
1770
The Most Beautiful Edifices of Modern Rome, or a Collection of the Most Beautiful Views of the Main Churches, Places, Plazas, Fountains etc., which are in Rome
Multiple artists/makers
1763
Les Plus Beaux Monuments de Rome Ancienne ou Recueil des plus beaux Morceaux de l'Antiquité Romaine qui existent encore
Multiple artists/makers
1761
The Triumph of Modern Art, Jean Barbault French, Etching
The Triumph of Modern Art
Jean Barbault
Louis Jean Desprez
18th century
Vignette with allegorical female figure and four putti supporting a shield, from the dedication to Jean François Joseph de Rochechouart, from Les Plus Beaux Monuments de Rome Ancienne ou Recueil des plus beaux Morceaux de l'Antiquité Romaine qui existent encore
Multiple artists/makers
1761

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