98 etchings of statues in Rome

Segmenta Nobiliarum Signorum et Statuarum

A bound volume containing etched title + 98 etchings (of 100), counter-proofs of the plates in François Perrier (1594-1649): Segmenta Nobiliarum Signorum et Statuarum (The Satutes of Rome), Rome 1638. Dates of impressions uncertain, but no later than c. 1800, and possibly much earlier.

The etchings are laid down on larger paper (sheet dimensions 29.7 x 19.5 cm) and bound in half calf, c. 1800, worn. Traces of mostly removed handwritten label on front paste-down, the plates with minor traces of use, occasional small stains and similar. Contemporary handwritten table of contents at end, [6] pp. It lists only 98 plates, so two engravings have been missing for a long time, which indicates that the prints may be substantially older than the binding.

The plates almost exclusively reproduce famous sculptures from ancient Rome, with the Laocoön Group as number one. But Michelangelo is also represented. Perrier's work was published in several editions and was an important source of inspiration for artists. Contre-épreuve (counter-proof) is a way of copying drawings and engravings by moistening them and copying the image to another sheet by pressing. The result is a mirror image and fainter than the original.

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