Rome with the Dome of Saint Peter's, Grand Tour, Antique Engraving, circa 1816

About this sheet

This antique engraving of Rome shows a panoramic view of the city with the great dome of Saint Peter's rising above the rooftops, an original early nineteenth century view of Rome published in London by Thomas Kelly. The plate is lettered simply "Rome" with the imprint "London Pubd by Thomas Kelly Paternoster Row", followed by a date that appears to read November 30, 1816, although the last figures are faint and the date is therefore given as circa.

The view looks across the city from a raised vantage point, with a tree and small figures in the foreground acting as a frame. Beyond them the roofs, towers and domes of Rome spread across the plate, and Michelangelo's dome of Saint Peter's dominates the skyline. For British travellers of the Grand Tour, and for the many readers who could only travel through books, such panoramas conveyed the grandeur and the sheer extent of the Eternal City.

Thomas Kelly was a leading London publisher of popular illustrated part works in the years after the Napoleonic Wars, and many of his plates of European cities were issued in geographies and gazetteers. The exact publication of this view has not been verified, so it is described here as published by Kelly. The print is an uncoloured line engraving, with a clear, silvery tone and careful drawing of the buildings in the middle distance.

This view of Rome will appeal to collectors of Grand Tour prints, Italian topography and views of the Vatican. It would look handsome in a traditional gilt frame with a cream mount, and could be grouped with other Italian views such as Tivoli, Milan or Trajan's Column from the same folio.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning and scattered small foxing spots in the margins; the image itself is clean and strong.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.