Roman Tunics, Togas and Shoes with Painted Ancient Vases, Lithograph, 1842

This original antique lithograph, hand colored in muted olive, gray and buff, is from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows two standing male figures rendered in the manner of statues. At left a man in a tunic and a heavily draped toga raises his right hand; at right a man in a short sleeved tunic with the toga wrapped about his hips and over one arm, its folds lettered with a short inscription, holds out his hand. Both wear laced shoes. The lower image shows a band of scrolling ornament in buff and black, and below it a jug with a handle decorated with scrolls and palmettes, a small draped figure, and a tall vase painted with a female head in profile on its neck and a band of heads on its body.

The top margin is lettered "Tom: IV", "ITALIA" and "Tav. 43". The captions read "Tuniche, toghe Calzari" (Tunics, togas, footwear) and "Vasi e loro pitture" (Vases and their paintings).

The tunic was the basic garment of Roman dress, and the toga, a large draped woolen mantle, was the formal garment of the Roman citizen. The calzari are the closed laced shoes worn with them. Painted vases were collected and published in Italy from the eighteenth century onward and served as a source for the study of ancient dress and ornament.

The restrained palette makes this a quiet companion to classical prints, architectural views or a library setting.

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