Title
[Studies of seven ancient boats].
Creator
Fontana, Carlo, 1634-1714, artist.
Publication details
[1694]
Physical details
1 drawing : ink and wash ; sheet 20.8 x 26.2 cm
Description
Seven rowboats, some with canopies, sculptures, and ornamental prows and sterns, numbered 16-20; there are two nos. 19 and two nos. 17, one of which has been amended by pasting a piece of paper over a different boat, with more elaborate decoration.
Place
Civitavecchia (Italy)
Additional information
Bound in one of the three volumes of drawings by Carlo Fontana formerly in the collection of Cardinal Albani, acquired by James Adam for George III in 1762 and later transferred to his Geographical Collections. The drawings are preceded by a blank page annotated: 'Drawn Sketches of Civita Vecchia, its ancient Buildings & Neighbouring Country by Fontana 1694'. According to Allan Braham and Hellmut Hager, 'the drawings were probably intended for publication as illustrations in a book which Fontana contemplated writing on the subject of primitive boats ('La Nautica'). This book was never printed, but Fontana appended an analysis of such boats to the short unillustrated book he published in 1710 on Porto d'Anzio, Antio e sue Antichita_". This drawing might relate to the third chapter of the Parte Terza, where Fontana describes the sandolo, originally created for fishing in the lakes and later used for recreation (p. 39). Related drawings are kept at Windsor and Leipzing and listed in the inventory of Cardinal Pamphili (see Braham, A., and Hager, H., Carlo Fontana: The Drawings at Windsor Castle, London, 1977, p. 132). On the same page as 016602732."
Shelfmark
118.e.14.