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Italy: Pozzuoli: Arco Felice. View of the ruined Arco Felice between Cuma and Paesani, with the remains of an aqueduct above it and a pathway below.
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Reference number
Adam vol.57/31
Purpose
Italy: Pozzuoli: Arco Felice. View of the ruined Arco Felice between Cuma and Paesani, with the remains of an aqueduct above it and a pathway below.
Aspect
Perspective
Inscribed
Inscribed in pencil in a contemporary hand Arco felicie Baia; in ink 31
Signed and dated
- Undated, probably 1755.
Medium and dimensions
Pencil, grey, blue and brown washes203 x 311
Hand
Charles-Louis Clérisseau
Watermark
Pro patria
Notes
This drawing attributed to Charles-Louis Clérisseau, and that by Robert Adam in Adam vol.57/32, depict views of the Arco Felice between Cuma and the Lago del Fusaro, both drawn from almost the same spot. The composition by Clérisseau is possibly the better and more dramatic, making greater play between the constructed arch and the ruined and overgrown side walls and contrasting shadows. Both drawings may be compared with a contemporary view by Giovanni Battista Natali (1698-1765), engraved in Paoli, Avanzi Delle Antichita Esistenti a Pozzuoli Cuma e Baja, Naples, 1768, pl.XLV, which shows considerably more detail of the structure of the arch and its setting. The Arco Felice was of brick construction, 63 feet in height, and spanned a hollow with an aqueduct above; it was built in the 3rd century AD by the Emperor Diocletian.
Level
Drawing
Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation
If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk