Hieronymous Cock – Ruinarum palatii maioris prospectus 4 1551
etching on laid paper – 23.5 x 33.4 cm
Unframed – Price : £700
From series: Praecipua aliquot Romanae antiquitatis auinarum monumenta, vivis prospectibus, a set of 24 plates. This etching, number four from the series, is a view of ruins on the Palatine Hill looking towards the Baths of Caracalla.
Text in plate, top left:’ Ruinarum palatii maioris prospectus .4.’ ‘.M.’ in top right. ‘230’ written in ink top right margin. ’13’ written in pencil bottom left margin.
Published by Hieronymous Cock, Antwerp
References:Hollstein Dutch and Flemish iv.183.35
Condition: Good clean impression. Good margins. Visible crease, pressed out, running from top to bottom in centre of sheet. Two diagonal creases across bottom right corner of margin – not close to image. Slight, faint staining around paper edge – not near image. Old hinges on top corners on the reverse of sheet. Some slight surface scratches in the plate in the upper right clouds. Study images carefully.
It is not known for certain if Hieronymous Cock visited Rome but if he did it was likely to have been between 1546 and 1549. It is generally accepted that Cock made the drawings of the ruins while there. There is a view that Cock’s depictions focus far more on setting than architectural detail. One could say that he was more interested in landscape effects than in correct topography. In the series, the ruins dominate the scenes, and even if they lack the architectural detailing as found in the prints of subsequent publication on this topic, their impact remains undiminished. Cock captured the erosion of the decaying buildings, the sprouting weeds and grasses which adorn them, the chipped masonry. His prints are suggesting the ongoing ruination, an image of antiquity that had great appeal, and these prints became the source material for many future artists.