Roman Legionaries Clearing Woodland and Raising Walls, Trajan's Column, 1722

This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, a double page folding plate from Montfaucon's Antiquity Explained, and Represented in Sculptures, printed in London by J. Tonson and J. Watts in 1722. Five numbered scenes show soldiers at work. In the large upper band men in short tunics and cloaks fell trees with axes, one of them kneeling at a trunk, while others on a timber framed platform pass materials along; lattice timber frames lie at the lower left, decorated hexagonal shields are stacked at the upper left, and a brick walled enclosure with timber towers rises at the upper right. Below, four smaller scenes show soldiers in segmented armor carrying blocks and working with tools beside buildings and tents, men building curved brick walls and carrying baskets beside a pillared gateway, and soldiers beside a pointed palisade, where three armored men stand together, others cut trees and one climbs a wall with a timber.

Each of the five scenes is captioned "Trajan's Pillar", which refers to Trajan's Column in Rome. The figures are numbered 1 to 5. The corners are lettered "Page 63" at top right, "Vol IV." at foot left and "Plate 14" at foot right.

Bernard de Montfaucon (1655 to 1741) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar. His L'Antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures appeared in Paris in 1719, and this English translation by David Humphreys, Antiquity Explained, and Represented in Sculptures, was printed in London by J. Tonson and J. Watts in 1722. Volume four deals with war, and this plate belongs to its account of the Roman army in the field, its camps and its works. Montfaucon drew together figures copied from ancient monuments and engraved the name of each source beside its figure.

The large upper scene gives the sheet a strong center, and it suits a wide frame.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.