Allegorical Figures – Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae – Tab XIII
Allegorical Figures and Roman Antiquities
Engraving from Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae (Leiden, 1704–1725), edited by Johann Georg Graevius and published by Pieter van der Aa.
This striking plate gathers a series of allegorical and antiquarian figures drawn from Roman monuments and coins. At the top left appears an oversized bronze hand (manus), once part of a colossal statue, followed by a procession scene in which a bearded man and attendants carry branches and ritual objects. At the right sits a powerful figure, probably Jupiter, nude but crowned, holding a sceptre and thunderbolt, with a smaller attendant figure at his side.
The lower register shows further allegories: at left, medals inscribed FIDELITAS PRVDENTIA and AVR VITIVITANTVM flank a winged figure embracing a celestial sphere, a personification of Time or Eternity. At right stands a long-bearded figure, crowned with leaves and holding the caduceus and compass, symbols of wisdom and proportion. His robe is decorated with eyes, an emblem of vigilance and watchfulness, reinforcing his role as an allegory of prudence or foresight.
Together these antiquities reflect the antiquarian taste for assembling symbolic fragments — coins, statues, reliefs, and attributes — into a visual compendium of Roman religious and moral ideas. The themes of fidelity, prudence, eternity, and divine power illustrate how ancient imagery was catalogued and transmitted for early modern scholarship.
Leiden between 1704 and 1725
Each Plate Approx 28 x 48 cm (Full Sheet Including Margins)
The Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae formed part of the monumental Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum series compiled by Johann Georg Graevius (1632–1703) and published in Leiden between 1704 and 1725. Overseen by the Dutch publisher Pieter van der Aa, the folio volumes combined texts, inscriptions, and richly engraved illustrations of monuments and antiquities from across Italy.
Many of the plates, such as those from the Monumenta Brixiana section devoted to finds from Brescia, document Roman statues, coins, inscriptions, and architectural remains. Executed in van der Aa’s workshop, the engravings often drew on earlier antiquarian sources but were presented in a format that reflected the 18th-century revival of interest in classical antiquity.
Conceived as a comprehensive resource for scholars, the Thesaurus also became a visual library for artists and thinkers of the early Neoclassical age, preserving and disseminating the legacy of ancient Italy through both scholarship and imagery.
Full sheet with margins shown below:
