Delle Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna (vol. 1) Possibly 1747 - 1761

This is the title page of the first volume of Giuseppe Vasi’s “Delle Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna,” printed in Rome in 1747. Vasi was a printmaker, an architect and a member of the Arcadian Academy, a literary society dedicated to pastoral simplicity. Vasi’s series of prints presented an image of Rome both ancient and modern, idealizing its architecture and urban design. This title page creates meaning through visual codes and historical associations, for example, it’s dedication to Charles, the Infante of Spain, King of the Two Sicilies. The book presents an image of Rome that is aligned with royal power and also aligned with the Catholic church, as we can see in the line stating that the book was composed by a priest from the Congregation of the Oratory. These prints, like other images of Rome, played a role in shaping the identity of the city and reinforcing the power of its elite institutions. The historian can research the institutions to understand better the meaning of art and understand the social context.