152, ROME ST ANGELO CASTLE, D'ESPOUY Architecture Print

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EXACT TITLE ON PRINT : MAUSOLEE D'ADRIEN (CHATEAU ST ANGE A ROME) (TRANSLATION: MAUSOLEUM OF HADRIAN (CASTLE ST. ANGELO AT ROME) ARTIST : Vaudremer PRINT INFORMATION PRINT DATE : This lithograph was printed in 1910 from an original restoration work completed by the artist in 1858. PRINT DIMENSIONS : 12 inches by 17 inches PRINT CONDITION : excellent condition, specifically as shown in this detailed scan. PRINT TYPE : Heliogravure print (see description of process in our Glossary). PAPER TYPE : Thick rag stock cardboard type paper. SHIPPING INFORMATION : See Our Shipping Terms Please email us if you have any questions. All returns accepted! BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND HISTORY ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF THIS PRINT : Castel Sant' Angelo, one of the most original monuments in Rome, dates back to the Roman period but has been deeply transformed over the centuries. At present, its charming and complex structure is due mainly to the presence of different architectural strata. This is evidence of the sedimentation of historical periods and thus of the prime role often played by this monument throughout history. The origin of this monument goes far back in time and its original function was completely different to that of today. It was begun in AD 123 as a desire of the emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus , Hadrian - to erect a monumental tomb destined to contain the emperor's ashes and those of his successors. It was finished in 139, a year after the emperor's death, by his successor Antoninus Pious; it was then used up to the year 217 as a sepulchral for the Antonine family. A specific site was chosen for the construction of the monument. Though on the river edge, it was built on very solid ground and in an area previously used as a cemetery. The monument was then linked to the rest of the city by means of a bridge named Alias, one of the emperor's names. As far as the structural and decorative aspects of the building are concerned, the original layout of the mausoleum is still uncertain. The monument was probably composed of at least three overlaid architectural bodies - a square base, a large cylindrical body, and a third and last piece. The latter was cylindrical too, but smaller in diameter and consisted of two overlaid orders, on the top of which the statue of Hadrian pulling a quadriga (chariot drawn by four horses) was probably placed. The cylindrical body was probably filled with a mound of earth covered by a hanging garden. The former structure, dating back to the Roman period, is now almost unrecognizable. Nevertheless, conspicuous parts still survive: the masonry and the foundations of the square base, as well as the entire masonry nucleus, the monumental entrance built in stone blocks, the ramp that leads to the upper floor and the funeral hall of the large cylindrical body. These parts are the core around which the constructions of the following centuries were built. From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance In the Middle Ages the monument was given a new function and was transformed from a mausoleum into a fortress. As a consequence, its architectural layout was also modified. These changes took place over ten centuries, i.e. since the building was linked to the town walls, built around Rome by the emperor Aurelian (AD 271), to the works promoted by Pope Boniface IX (1389-1404) and carried out by Nicolo Lamberti, a military architect. The defensive role of the castle was due to its being in a controlling position with respect to the northern access route to the city. Moreover, the significance of this role grew in time in relation to the importance acquired by the area named Borgo, spreading around Saint Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Palaces. In the Middle Ages the possession of the castle (which takes its name from an ancient legend about the apparition of the Archangel Michael on the summit of the monument in 590 during a plague) was the cause... read more

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