Temple of Clitumnus near Spoleto, Antique Italian Architectural View, circa 1850

The Temple of Clitumnus near Spoleto in Umbria, an original antique steel engraving, uncolored, circa 1850, in upright format. The caption reads CLITUMNUS-TEMPEL, bey Spoleto in Italien., the Clitumnus Temple near Spoleto in Italy.

The small temple with its pediment and four columns stands on the wooded slope in the upper part of the plate, with houses and a ruined tower on the hill above it. Two women in local dress with white headdresses stand on the slope before it among a few sheep, and another woman stands nearer the temple. Below, a stone bridge arch leads to a tall square stone building at the right, where two figures stand in the doorway. In the foreground a man in a hat wades in the stream with a long fishing rod, beside a low stone wall at the left.

The publisher's line at lower left reads Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts zu Hildburghausen. (published by the Bibliographisches Institut at Hildburghausen), and at lower right Eigenthum d. Verleger. (property of the publishers). No artist or engraver is named on the sheet.

The Hildburghausen imprint is that of Meyer's Universum, a serial collection of engraved views with descriptive text published by Joseph Meyer's Bibliographisches Institut at Hildburghausen from 1833, its plates engraved on steel. The sheet comes from a dealer's album rather than from a bound set. The building beside the springs of the Clitumnus is an early Christian church built in the form of a small Roman temple from older material.

A few small foxing spots in the margin. Corners and edges are not shown by this scan. Clean, even paper tone in the margin.

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