1560 LAFRERI, A. - Amphitheatri Veronen[sis] diligens et accurata delineatio…

The print features the Amphitheater of Verona, it comes from "Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae" (The Mirror of Roman Magnificence). Example of the first state of three, with the address of Lafren.
Signed and dated at bottom right "Romae Anno DLX Anton[a] Lafrenij Sequani formis ad genitum archetypum fidelissime expressa".

"Built in the first century with stones obtained from the Lessinic mountains, what today is called "the arena of Verona" originally had different dimensions. In 1183 (and not in 1117 as written in Latin) an earthquake caused the first outer wall to collapse. Destined to host gladiatorial shows in Roman times, in the carly Middle Ages it was practically abandoned. As for many ancient monuments, its stones were used for the construction of the city. In the following centuries it was used again for carousels and bull hunting, as it happened in Rome at Testaccio" (Stefano Bifolco).

Antonio Lafreri (French, Orgelet, Franche-Comte ca. 1512–1577 Rome).
"The Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (The Mirror of Roman Magnificence) found its origin in the publishing endeavors of Antonio Salamanca and Antonio Lafreri. During their Roman publishing careers, the two foreign publishers - who worked together between 1553 and 1563 - initiated the production of prints recording art works, architecture and city views related to Antique and Modern Rome. The prints could be bought individually by tourists and collectors, but were also purchased in larger groups which were often bound together in an album. In 1573, Lafreri commissioned a title page for this purpose, which is where the title ‘Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae’ first appears. Lafreri envisioned an ideal arrangement of the prints in 7 different categories, but during his lifetime, never appears to have offered one standard, bound set of prints. Instead, clients composed their own selection from the corpus to be bound, or collected a group of prints over time. When Lafreri died, two-third of the existing copper plates went to the Duchetti family (Claudio and Stefano), while another third was distributed among several publishers. The Duchetti appear to have standardized production, offering a more or less uniform version of the Speculum to their clients. The popularity of the prints also inspired other publishers in Rome to make copies however, and to add new prints to the corpus" (The Met, New York).

A unique opportunity to acquire a fine example of a print from the early Lafreri School.!
Read more about the Lafreri School [+]

Reference: B. Rubach, Ant. Lafreni Formis Romae (2016), n. 279, I/III; A. Alberti, L'indice di Antonio Lafrery (2010), n. 49, I/III.