ABRAHAM-LOUIS-RODOLPHE DUCROS (MOUDON 1748-1810 LAUSANNE)
Lot 54

ABRAHAM-LOUIS-RODOLPHE DUCROS (MOUDON 1748-1810 LAUSANNE)

An extensive view of the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, with figures in the foreground

Closed5 July 2022

Price Realised

GBP 20,160

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ABRAHAM-LOUIS-RODOLPHE DUCROS (MOUDON 1748-1810 LAUSANNE)
An extensive view of the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, with figures in the foreground
black chalk, pen and brown ink, watercolour and bodycolour on three joined sheets of paper
73.3 x 110.5 cm (28 3⁄4 x 40 in.)

Arthur H. Renshaw (1841-?), Sussex.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 28 June 1966, lot 150 (420 gns to Hardy).

Specialist note

Between 1779 and 1784, Louis Ducros collaborated with the engraver Giovanni Volpato (1732-1803) on several artistic projects including the Vedute di Roma e dei suoi dintorni series, large-scale etchings embellished with watercolour. An identical panoramic view of the Palatine, signed and dated 1786, was at Sotheby’s, London, 9 July 2003, lot 65 and shows Pope Pius VI with attendant figures. An etching after the Sotheby’s watercolour is in this Vedute series (P. Chessex, Roma romantica, Vedute di Roma e dei suoi dintorni di A.LR. Ducros (1748-1810), 1985, Milan, no. 3, ill.). Volpato had obtained permission from the Pope to carry out excavations both in Rome and outside the city.
In the present work, Ducros chose to represent antique dealers, who initiated the excavations, searching for objects which would enhance private collections or the Museo Pio-Clementino founded in 1771.