L. CASSAS (1756-1827), Ruins at the Macellum of Pozzuoli, 1784, Etching

Louis François Cassas (1756 Azay-le-Ferron - 1827 Versailles): Architectural fragments at the Macellum of Pozzuoli, 1784, Etching

Technique: Etching on Paper

Inscription: At the lower part signed in the printing plate: "L. F. Cassas 1784". Lower middle inscribed in the printing plate: "Vue pres de Pouzzoles.".

Date: 1784

Description: Following the example of many famous contemporaries, the French draughtsman Louis François Cassas also embarked on an educational journey to Italy from 1779. For around four years, he travelled to the classic destinations of an artistic and scholarly Grand Tour, which he was one of the first to extend beyond Italy. During this time, he captured the picturesque landscapes, the remarkable architecture and the lives of the people in these places in numerous drawings and sketches. In Naples, he met a group of like-minded artists who were commissioned by Jean-Claude Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non, to produce drawings to illustrate the multi-volume work Voyage pittoresque ou description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile. Cassas was then also asked to travel to Sicily and produce sketches that were to be engraved for the Abbé's work. In the Voyage pittoresque, however, only eight of Cassas' drawings are ultimately printed, although he must have submitted a significantly higher number. The present sheet, which shows signs of a provisional, as yet unfinished work without correct labelling, particularly in the lower section, could have been created in this context, but was ultimately rejected. It is also known that Cassas gave some of his drawings to the Piranesi Chalcography in Paris around 1801, where similar depictions with romantic views of ruins were offered for sale engraved and coloured. In both cases, the present sheet can probably be regarded as a trial proof in the process of publishing Cassas' impressions of his first journey to Italy.

Keywords: Italy, Grand Tour, Antiquity, Reception of Antiquity, Sarcophagus, Relief, Naples, Pozzuoli, Memento Mori, French, 18th century, Classicism, Landscape, Italy,
Dimensions: Paper: 24,2 cm x 19,8 cm (9,5 x 7,8 in), additional specification: Paper: 29.6 x 23.4 cm Artist Name: Louis François Cassas (1756 Azay-le-Ferron - 1827 Versailles) Medium: Etching Notes: Differential taxation according to §25a UStG, art objects/special regulation. VAT for the artwork purchase price is not shown on the invoice. (VAT: Margin Scheme). A buyer's premium of 25% will be charged on all purchases. The buyer's premium includes VAT, but is not shown on the invoice.

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Condition: Rather good condition. Slight soiling in the margin. There is a restored marginal tear in the upper left and upper right (outside the image).