Francesco Panini (Rome 1745-1812)
Francesco Panini (Rome 1745-1812)

View of the octagonal hall in the Baths of Otricoli and its floor mosaic

Details
Francesco Panini (Rome 1745-1812)
View of the octagonal hall in the Baths of Otricoli and its floor mosaic
watercolor over etched outlines
27 ¾ x 18 in. (69.5 x 46 cm.)

Lot Essay

In 1779 Giuseppe Panini was commissioned to reproduce the monumental octagonal floor mosaic unearthed in the Umbrian town of Otricoli, now in the Vatican Museums (inv. 45761). Assembling two different designs by his brother – the picturesque view of the Baths at Otricoli at the top and a rendering of the mosaic at the bottom –, Francesco realized this hand-colored etching, which is known only
in one other version at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. E.743-1950), signed by Francesco only and accompanied by the inscription 'Disegno del Bel Pavimento di Musaico di pietre naturali con il Prospetto della Sala Ottagonale nelle Terme dell'an/ tica Citta' Otricolana ritrovato nell'Anno 1779/ Fatto da Franc.o Panini' (M.C. Cola, 'L'inventario di Francesco Pannini. Dipinti, disegni e contorni nello studio di Palazzo Moroni', Rivista dell'Istituto Nazionale d'Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte, XXV, no. 67, p. 206.)
We are grateful to Maria Celeste Cola for his assistance during the cataloguing of the present work.

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