Rossini, Luigi (1790-1857)

Luigi Rossini was an architect, painter and watercolorist. As a young man he went to Bologna where he studied art and architecture at the academy, and subsequently won the prize of the Regno Italico for Architecture. He arrived in Rome at the end of 1813, and after repeated failures in his attempts to gain architectural commissions, decided to follow in the footsteps of Piranesi and began work on a series of views of Rome. He faithfully recorded the complex archaeological scenes, paying meticulous attention to the detailed play of light and shadow. He published over 1,000 plates in various collections from 1818-1850. Rossini published his “Le Antichita Romane” between 1819 and 1823, consisting of 101 plates depicting views of ancient Rome. Rossini took his initial inspiration from the famous views of Giovanni Battista Piranesi, published in works such as “Vedute di Roma”. Like Piranesi’s work, Rossini’s prints frequently served as Grand Tour souvenirs and provided influential source material for European architects and designers interested in classical motifs.

Prints from this publication are Very Rare