Piazza di Pietra

Black pencil drawing, mm 295x397. At bottom right: Temple d'Antonin le Pieux.

Belongs to a collection of 127 works unearthed from a French antiquarian who, in turn, had acquired them from the heirs of publisher Henri-Désiré Charpentier (La Rochelle 1805 - Vertou 1882); they are all done in black pencil, some have white lead highlighting; they never bear the date and signature of the author, but only a brief caption relating to the subjects depicted. The drawings denote a skilled and expert hand - especially in the delineation of buildings, ruins and architecture - that restores the monuments of Rome from interesting and unusual perspective points. The reference of most of the drawings to some of the tinted lithographs by Felix and Philippe Benoist, published in the three-volume work Rome dans sa grandeur, immediately became clear. The fact that this is a large group of original drawings related to the famous work edited by Henri-Désiré Charpentier is clearly supported by the prestigious provenance; it is a part of Charpentier's heir fund, among which the material of the famous chalcographic workshop had been divided.

Rome dans sa grandeur. Vues, monument ancient et modernes was printed in Paris in 3 volumes, in 1870. The publication, illustrated by 100 lithographs, was preceded by a campaign of preparatory drawings, dating from 1864 until 1869, executed mainly by Félix Benoist and partly by Philippe Benoist. On the eve of the Concilio Ecumenico Vaticano I, on August 11, 1869, Pius IX decreed the creation of a Roman Exhibition of the works of every art executed for Catholic worship, which was inaugurated, on February 17, 1870, in the cloister of the Carthusian monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli. On that occasion, the three folio volumes Rome dans sa grandeur were presented. The lavishly bound volumes, with the coat of arms of Pius IX stamped in the center in gold, are divided into three sections. The first volume deals with ancient Rome, the second, with Christian Rome, and the third, with the monuments and achievements of modern Rome. A valuable view of papal Rome on the eve of Rome's profound transformation into the capital of united Italy. A document that highlights the remarkable imprint left by Pius IX on the Eternal City. The work represents the French artist's masterpiece, so much so that it places Benoist among the ranks of the greatest artists of interiors and views of his time.

The sheets used for the preliminary studies vary in size (from 170 mm x 240 to 490 x 300 mm), weight and even color gradation (from beige to green).  Many of the drawings undeniably represent different preparatory stages - more or less complete - of some of the dyed lithographs illustrating the magnificent work, others of the silographic vignettes included in the text, while other sketches do not find translation in print. Belonging to this second group are both sketches relating to monuments and views of Rome and its surroundings: ancient Ostia, Grottaferrata, Olevano Romano, Anzio, Nettuno, Velletri and Vicovaro. Far beyond from Rome are drawings relating to Naples and Loreto. The suite was to form part of the entire fund, later dispersed, of preparatory studies from which the hundred intended for lithographic printing were selected.

This drawing corresponds to the vignette in the first volume, Rome Antique, ch. II, p. 56, which follows the description of the entry Temple dit d'Antonin-le-Pieux: “Nardini et Canina ont demontre, jusqu'à l'évidenet, que les débris connus sous ce nom doivent ètre attribués au temple de Neptune, construit par Agrippa et restauré par Adrien. Ces débris se composent de onze majestueuses colonnes corinthiennes, portant malheureusement des traces d'incendie. Leur hauteur est de 39 pieds et demi et leur diamètre de 4 pieds 2 pouces. Les chapiteaux sont ornes de feuilles d'olivier; ils supportent un magnifique entablement. Ces onze colonnes sont encastrées, depuis le XVII siecle, dans le mur de façade de la Douane. L'entablement fut alors restauré en stuc par Borromini” (Rome dans sa grandeur – Rome Antique, cap. II, p. 56).

The Temple of Hadrian (Templum Divus Hadrianus, also Hadrianeum) is an ancient Roman structure on the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the deified emperor Hadrian by his adoptive son and successor Antoninus Pius in 145 CE. This temple was previously known as the Basilica of Neptune but has since been properly attributed as the Temple of Hadrian, who intended to dedicate it to his deceased and deified wife Vibia Sabina, completed under Antoninus Pius.

The temple consisted of 21 columns in total and rose on a high podium accessible from the east side through a staircase. The restored architrave has a rich decoration with small palm trees and lion heads. The interior consisted of semi-columns resting on high plinths decorated with reliefs depicting the personifications of the Roman provinces (now kept in the Musei Capitolini and in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli).

In 1695, Carlo Fontana incorporated the remains of the temple in the Palazzo della Dogana di Terra, for goods arriving in Rome by land. In 1831, the building housed the headquarters of the Rome Stock Exchange. In 1873 the building was bought by the Camera di Commercio (Chamber of Commerce) which made it its seat. The renovation works were carried out by Virginio Vespignani. Only a part of the north side colonnade with eleven columns 15 meters high and a diameter of 1.44 meters still stands today.

From 19 May 2022, Hadrian's Temple’s changed its name to become the Temple of Vibia Sabina and Hadrian in honour of the empress and in line with its true history.

The last image, which is not for sale, represents the wooduct included in text of Rome dans sa grandeur. Vues, monument ancient et modernes, and allows us to compare it with the preparatory drawing.