Views of Athens and the Temple of Augustus and Minerva, Lithograph, 1842

This is an original antique lithograph from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842), with hand color on part of the image: green on the foliage, a red jacket, and pale pinks and yellows on stone and ground. The upper image is a view of Athens. At the left a walled citadel crowns a steep hill, with a town of low houses and domes in the middle distance. At the right a group of tall columns with leafy capitals still carries a stretch of architrave, with plants growing on top. Fallen blocks and a carved capital lie in the foreground, and a figure in a red jacket and white trousers walks along the path. The lower image shows a ruined portico of four fluted columns under a plain pediment, standing between stone walls with trees on either side. Through the columns a street leads toward the walled hill and the houses beyond.

The plate is lettered "Tom IV" at the upper left, "GRECIA" in the center and "Tav. 135" at the upper right. The upper caption reads "Vedute di Atene" (views of Athens), and the lower caption reads "Avanzo del Tempio in Atene dedicato ad Augusto e Minerva" (remains of the temple in Athens dedicated to Augustus and Minerva).

Minerva is the Roman name for Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. Travelers of the period recorded the ruins of the city with great interest in the years after Greek independence.

The quiet architectural views suit a library, a study or a collection of Grand Tour subjects.

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