Pair of Original Etchings of Ancient Roman Statues,18th Century Attributed to Pietro and Ferdinando Campana

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This pair of framed 18th-century Neoclassical Neapolitan etchings depict ancient Roman bronze statues discovered during excavations in Herculaneum.

One print … Read more This pair of framed 18th-century Neoclassical Neapolitan etchings depict ancient Roman bronze statues discovered during excavations in Herculaneum.

One print depicts a specialized Roman bronze statue often identified as a "Young Warrior" or "Mars", notable for its intricate scale-like chest armor (lorica musculata) and raised right hand. This well-known master etching is attributed to Italian engraver Ferdinando Campana (after a drawing by Giovanni Casanova)
The second print depicts a classical draped female figure standing on an elevated pedestal with an architectural fragment or standard floating to her right. This etching is attributed to Pietro Campana.

These plates were originally created for the famous multi-volume royal catalog series "Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte" ("The Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed"), published in Naples between 1757 and 1792. They feature classical structural margins at the bottom illustrating antique Neapolitan and Roman measurement lines (Palmo Napolitano and Palmo Romano).

The engravings are displayed in a elegant gallery styling. They are housed inside matching black-bordered wood frames with gold-mottled inner lips, mounted against matching cream-toned mats to isolate and protect the paper margins. See less