Plate 2 depicting the trades of Rome, here including vendors of fish, sieves, candles etc, from the 'Descrición de las artes que se llaman para los calles de la ciudad de Roma'

Art Historical Context

This engaging engraving, Plate 2 from the series *Descripción de las artes que se llaman para los calles de la ciudad de Roma*, captures the lively street commerce of 18th-century Rome. It portrays vendors offering fish, sieves, candles, and other everyday goods, illustrating the trades that filled the city’s bustling thoroughfares. Created around 1770–1800 by Giovanni Ambrogio Brambilla and published by Remondini, the work preserves a vivid record of urban life and the itinerant sellers whose calls once animated Rome’s neighborhoods. The medium—an engraving enhanced with hand coloring—allowed such images to circulate widely, bringing scenes of Roman daily life to audiences beyond Italy. These prints served both as visual entertainment and as documents of social and economic activity, highlighting the variety of occupations that sustained the city. The careful detailing of wares and figures reflects the era’s growing interest in ethnographic and genre subjects. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2022 through the Ann and Matthew Nimetz Gift, this sheet offers modern viewers an intimate glimpse into the sounds, colors, and rhythms of historic Rome.