Plate LXII (62): Flora, from "Museum Florentinum" (Statuae antiquae dorum et virorum illustrium)

Art Historical Context

This engraving and etching, Plate LXII from the 1734 publication *Museum Florentinum*, captures a classical statue of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring. Created through the collaborative efforts of draftsman Giovanni Domenico Campiglia and engraver Girolamo Rossi the Younger, the print belongs to a multi-volume catalog documenting ancient sculptures housed in Florentine collections. The work reflects the 18th-century fascination with classical antiquity, offering viewers a detailed reproduction of an idealized female figure that celebrates natural abundance and beauty. Printmaking techniques like engraving and etching allowed precise rendering of the statue’s form, drapery, and attributes, making these images accessible to scholars, collectors, and artists across Europe. Such publications played a vital role in the dissemination of classical ideals during the Enlightenment, influencing neoclassical movements and helping to preserve visual records of antiquities that might otherwise have remained known only to those who could travel to Italy. Today, this sheet in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection highlights the enduring appeal of mythological subjects and the artistry involved in translating three-dimensional sculpture into two-dimensional prints.

About the Artist

Girolamo Rossi the Younger|Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (Italian|Italian) · 1680 |1692 –1762 |1768

Italian, 1680–ca. 1762|Italian, Lucca, 1692–1768