1602 DUCHETTI, C. / ORLANDINI, J. - Ornithon sive Aviarum M. Varronis Pyrro.Ligorio.Neap.inv. [The reconstruction by Pirro Ligorio of the aviary of Marcus Varro].

The print, depicting the reconstruction by Pirro Ligorio of the aviary of Marcus Varro in Rome, was printed by Giovanni Orlandi in 1602 from a copperplate originally engraved for the "Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae", with the imprints of Duchetti and Orlandi. Etching by Ambrogio (Ambrosius) Brambilla, after a design by Pirro Ligorio. Published by Giovanni Orlandi.

Architectural fantasy representing the aviary (ornithon) of Marcus Terentius Varro, reconstructed by the antiquarian Pirro Ligorio. The composition shows a large circular colonnaded structure enclosing a central pavilion, set within a formal landscape. In the foreground are two long rectangular water basins flanked by symmetrical square colonnaded pavilions, creating a strong axial perspective. The plate belongs to the Roman tradition of antiquarian reconstructions of ancient architecture, blending archaeological learning with imaginative design. First issued in 1581 by Claudio Duchetti, this issue is from the later Orlandi edition dated 1602.

In the mid-sixteenth century, Italy was the principal centre of printmaking and cartography in Europe, concentrated primarily in Venice and Rome. Among the most important Roman publishers was Antonio Lafreri, whose major work is the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae, a vast corpus of copper-engraved plates depicting the monuments, architecture, and views of ancient as well as modern Rome. No two copies of the Speculum are identical, each compilation having been assembled to order according to the client’s wishes.

The Speculum originated in the joint publishing activities of Antonio Salamanca and Antonio Lafreri, active in Rome between 1553 and 1563. Engravings were offered individually to travellers and collectors, or gathered into composite volumes later bound. In 1573, Lafreri commissioned a title page for these compilations, marking the first appearance of the title Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae. Although he conceived an ideal arrangement of the plates into seven categories, Lafreri never issued a standardized bound collection during his lifetime.

Upon Lafreri’s death, approximately two-thirds of the copperplates passed to his nephew Claudio Duchetti, then to other members of the Duchetti family. Claudio Duchetti continued the exploitation of the plates, making minor retouches and frequently replacing Lafreri’s imprint with his own. The Duchetti (Claudio and Stefano) contributed to a relative standardization of production while maintaining the principle of compilations assembled to order.

After the demise of the Duchetti, the plates were dispersed and taken up by other Roman publishers, notably Giovanni Orlandi (before 1590–after 1640), who issued new impressions from them in the early seventeenth century. The prolonged circulation of these plates ensured the dissemination and lasting significance of this fundamental corpus of Roman printmaking.

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Reference: Christian Hülsen, Das Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae des Antonio Lafreri. Munich, 1921, plate 29a