Domus Aurea N° 42 - 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 plate presents a complex decorative composition structured in a geometric scheme, organized into square and circular compartments, with a central medallion depicting two human figures in a dialogical pose, likely of mythological or allegorical character.
The layout is rigorously symmetrical and modular: around the central medallion develop ornamental elements such as stylized shells, monochrome panels, colored fields, and small figurative scenes with animals and minor narrative episodes. The outer border is richly decorated with grotesque motifs including hybrid figures, vegetal scrolls, and fantastical animals, arranged in a continuous frame directly inspired by the wall decorations of the Domus Aurea.
The inscription “Domus Aurea N° 42” identifies the plate as part of a systematic documentation project of ancient Roman paintings, intended for study and dissemination of classical ornamental vocabulary, particularly influential in the Neoclassical period.

📚 Historical note
This etching belongs to the editorial project promoted by Ludovico Mirri in 18th-century Rome, aimed at reproducing and disseminating the decorative schemes discovered in the Domus Aurea and the Baths of Titus. Franciszek Smuglewicz, active as a draughtsman in the Roman archaeological context, produced accurate records of wall paintings, later translated into etching by Marco Carloni. Their collaboration ensured both documentary precision and visual clarity, contributing to the spread of classical ornamental language throughout 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° 42
Dimensions: sheet 64.5 × 77 cm; plate 50 × 53 cm

🔍 Condition Report
Very good overall condition, sharp and well-preserved impression; regular margins and uniform age patina consistent with the period.