Domus Aurea N° 29 - Carloni / Smuglewicz 1776

📜 Description
Original 18th-century etching engraved by Marco Carloni after a drawing by Franciszek Smuglewicz and published in Rome by Ludovico Mirri in 1776, from the series “Vestigia delle terme di Tito e loro interne pitture”. The central scene features two human figures: on the left, a nude young man seated on a rock playing a pan flute, and on the right, a standing female figure draped in cloth, leaning on a column and turned toward the musician in a listening attitude.
The composition is set against a dark background with a balanced, theatrical arrangement, where the musician acts as the main subject while the female figure plays a secondary, contemplative role. The scene is enclosed within a richly decorated grotesque frame composed of vegetal motifs, hybrid figures, and fantastical animals arranged symmetrically along the borders, reflecting the ornamental repertoire of the Domus Aurea wall paintings. The inscription “Domus Aurea N° 29” identifies the plate as part of a systematic visual documentation of ancient Roman decorative schemes.
The subject evokes a pastoral and mythological theme, likely connected to Pan or an Arcadian setting, consistent with ancient Roman imagery and intended for documentary and educational purposes within the 18th-century rediscovery of classical antiquity.

📚 Historical note
This plate belongs to the editorial project promoted by Ludovico Mirri in Rome during the second half of the 18th century, aimed at disseminating the decorative schemes of the Domus Aurea and the Baths of Titus. Franciszek Smuglewicz, active as a draughtsman in the Roman archaeological milieu, produced accurate records of wall paintings, later translated into etching by Marco Carloni. The collaboration between draughtsman and engraver ensured both documentary precision and refined graphic quality, contributing to the spread of Neoclassical taste across Europe.

🧾 Technical sheet
Type: original etching
Draughtsman / Engraver: Franciszek Smuglewicz; Marco Carloni
Publisher / Printer: Ludovico Mirri
Place: Rome
Period: 1776
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: Domus Aurea N° 29
Dimensions: sheet 64.5 × 77 cm; plate 50 × 53 cm

🔍 Condition Report
Very good overall condition, well-inked impression with regular margins; light, even age patina consistent with the period.