Antique Print of the Statue of Nilus in Rome by Van Dalen (1660)

Description: Antique print, titled: 'Nilus in Hortis Vaticanis.' - Statue of Nilus in Rome. Nilus or Neilos, in Greek mythology, was one of the Potamoi, children of Oceanus and Tethys. He represented the god of the Nile river itself and was father to several children.

From the 1660 Dutch edition of 'Icones et Segmenta Nobil. Signorum et Statuarum quae Romae extant' by Francois Perrier. This first Dutch edition was published by Nicolaas Visscher, printed in 1660 (Amsterdam). Although Perrier was French, he fell in love with Rome when he traveled there first in 1628 and then returning in 1635 and remaining for 10 years. While there, he completed this series of 100 views of Roman statuary in the various palaces and gardens, including the Medici and Vatican gardens and the Palazzo Farnese.

Artists and Engravers: Made by 'Cornelis van Dalen' after 'Francois Perrier'. Cornelis van Dalen the elder (ca. 1602-1665) or Cornelis van Dalen de Jonge (ca. 1638-1664), father and son, both Dutch engravers. Francois Perrier (Pontarlier 1590 - Paris 1650) was a French painter and etcher. He resided in Rome from 1620 to 1625, where he became a follower of Giovanni Lanfranco and worked with De Cortona and Carracci. He then returned to France, and settles in Paris in 1630. There, Perrier worked in the circle of Vouet and had Charles Le Brun as his pupil. He is mostly remembered for his two series of prints after classical sculptures. These provided visual repertoires of classical models for generations of European artists and collectors.