Penates Roman Household Gods – Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae
Dedications to the Penates with Roman Coins and Statuary
Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae, Tab. V, p. 33.
Leiden, 1704–1725, edited by Johann Georg Graevius and published by Pieter van der Aa.
This engraving brings together inscriptions, coins, and statues associated with the Penates, the household gods of Rome. At left is a monumental altar inscribed DIS PENATIBVS (“To the Penates”), evoking the cult that protected family, state, and the continuity of Roman life.
To the right are several series of Roman coins: some inscribed DEI PENATES, others depicting emperors, mythological figures, and sacrificial implements. These numismatic examples emphasize how the cult of the Penates was represented not only in household shrines but also in civic and imperial imagery.
Below stand three statues: a draped male figure with scroll, a youthful nude hero with club and lion skin (resembling Hercules), and another cloaked figure wearing a winged cap, perhaps Mercury. Together they suggest the blending of domestic, civic, and divine guardianship within Roman religion.
This composition reflects the 18th-century revival of interest in Roman religion and symbolism, when scholars and artists studied such monuments as both historical evidence and inspiration for the emerging Neoclassical style.
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.
Sheet with margins.
