Antiquae Urbis Romae cum Regionibus Simulacrum

Art Historical Context

Step into the Renaissance fascination with antiquity through *Antiquae Urbis Romae cum Regionibus Simulacrum* (Image of Ancient Rome with its Regions), a remarkable 1532 printed book now housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department. Crafted by a stellar collaboration—antiquarian Fabio Calvo, printer Valerio Dorico, calligrapher Ludovico Arrighi, scholars Tolomeo Egnazio and Fabio Timotheo, and papal patrons Pope Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici) and Cardinal Francesco Armellini de' Medici—this volume captures Rome's imperial past. Measuring a compact 16 5/16 x 11 1/8 x 1 3/16 inches, it was generously acquired via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1947. The book's hand-colored woodcuts offer vivid reconstructions of ancient Rome's 14 Augustan regions, blending meticulous scholarship with artistic vision. In an era when artists and humanists pored over ruins like the Colosseum and Forum to revive classical knowledge, this work stands as an early printed atlas of the Eternal City, bridging archaeology and cartography. Its woodblock prints, enhanced by delicate hand-coloring, highlight the ingenuity of 16th-century printing techniques, making complex urban history accessible and visually stunning. This treasure not only fueled the Renaissance revival of Roman grandeur but also inspired later architects and urban planners, reminding us how books like this preserved a lost world for posterity. A true gem for lovers of history and cities!

About the Artist

Fabio Calvo|Valerio Dorico|Pope Clement VII (Giulio de Medici)|Tolomeo Egnazio|Ludovico Arrighi|Cardinal Francesco Armellini de' Medici|Fabio Timotheo (Italian|Italian|Italian|Italian|Italian|Italian|Italian) · 1450 | |1478 | |1500 |1470 | –1527 | |1534 | |1600 |1527 |

Italian, probably Ravenna ca. 1450–1527 Rome| |Italian, 1478–1534, (papacy 1523–34)|Italian|Italian, 16th century|Italian, 1470–1527|Italian