Il Mercurio Errante Delle Grandezze di Roma, tanto antiche, che moderne. In questa Ottava Edizione migliorato, ed accresciuto. Diviso in due parti. La Prima contiene Palazzi, e chiese. La Seconda Ville, giardini, terme, acque, teatri, cerchi, archi trionfali, guglie, sepolcri, ed altre antichità, e cose singolari di Roma

ROME. Pietro Rossini (fl. 1693); Piranesi, Giovanni Battista (1720-1778)

Published by A spese di Fausto Amidei Libraro al Corso sotto il Palazzo del Signor Marchese Raggi, per Generoso Salomone, Roma, 1760

About this Item

TWO COPIES, both bound in contemporary stiff vellum with speckled edges (the first soiled; the second with small stains.) Fine copies, each with a little bit of light foxing and a few light stains. Second copy with light spots on plate 12 and a small stain on the half-title. The 30 folding plates are in excellent condition. This pairing, each with variant plates, provides a good opportunity for analysis of the composition of this edition. In the first copy there are twelve plates; in the second there are eighteen. Seven of the twelve plates in the second copy are different versions -two of them by Piranesi- of those in the first. These depict: the Campidoglio, Piazza Trinità dei Monti, the Lateran, the Pantheon, the Baths of Diocletian, the Arch of Titus, and Piazza Navona. In the eighteen-plate copy, two plates (the Belvedere and the Quirinal) are by Piranesi; in the twelve-plate copy, three are by Piranesi (the aforementioned Belvedere, the Lateran, and Baths of Diocletian). The 1750 edition of "Mercurio Errante"(the first with illustrations) had twelve plates only, though a number of them were not re-used for the 1760 edition. Some of the plates, including those by Piranesi, had been in use by the publisher, Fausto Amadei, since the 1740s. See, for instance, his "Roma moderna distinta per rioni", 1741; and "Varie vedute di Roma", 1745. The Piranesi plates, among the artist's earliest, were some of the only plates sold by Piranesi to other publishers. From 1748 on, Piranesi would print his own works, maintaining control of his plates. "Pietro Rossini, an antiquarian from Pesaro and a professional guide for foreign visitors in Rome, first published 'Il Mercurio Errante' in 1693. The guidebook quickly became very successful: ten more editions were published before 1788 (including editions in 1704, 1715, 1739, 1750, 1760, 1771, and 1776), according to Ludwig Schudt (1930). The structure of the book, divided into three parts focused respectively on palaces, villas and ancient Roman ruins, and Christian churches, remained unchanged through the 1715 edition, which was expanded and revised by the author's son, Giovanni Pietro Rossini. While the overall structure remained constant, successive editions were updated, like a Baedecker guide. For example, new palaces are included, and the current owners are identified for palaces that have changed hands. In the 1715 edition the buildings of Innocent XII are recorded in a separate chapter. Rossini's description of palaces is richer than those by his competitors, and his expanded history of Roman private art collections is of greater importance. The discussion of antiquity is especially interesting for art historians since the transformation of ancient buildings into Christian churches is carefully charted. The nine principal churches are also dealt with in a separate chapter in the third part of the guide. The examination of current restorations makes Rossini's book an important document for archaeologists as well. "Schudt (1930) has shown how each successive edition offers additional material. The 1739 edition is important for the buildings sponsored by Clement XII; the second part includes not only the principal churches but also fifty more. In the 1750 edition the section on churches is further expanded, including observations on Sant'Apollinare, San Niccolo dei Lorenesi, and San Lorenzo in Damaso, as well as valuable information regarding the Lambertini pontificate. The 1760 edition adds further information about the pontificate of Benedict XIV, describes the coffeehouse in the Quirinal Palace, and includes Villa Albani. "The 1750 edition of the 'Mercurio errante' was rendered exceptional by the inclusion of a collection of remarkable illustrations. The authors of the plates are Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Jean-Laurent Legeay, and Philothee-François Duflos. "The structure of the guide in the 1750 edition (and the 1760 edition that followed it) is in two parts, each divided into two b.

Seller Inventory # 5466

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Il Mercurio Errante Delle Grandezze di Roma, tanto antiche, che moderne. In questa Ottava Edizione migliorato, ed accresciuto. Diviso in due parti. La Prima contiene Palazzi, e chiese. La Seconda Ville, giardini, terme, acque, teatri, cerchi, archi trionfali, guglie, sepolcri, ed altre antichità, e cose singolari di Roma
• Publisher: A spese di Fausto Amidei Libraro al Corso sotto il Palazzo del Signor Marchese Raggi, per Generoso Salomone, Roma
• Publication Date: 1760
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Fine