Mausoleum Of The Plauzi And The Lucan Bridge

Roman school, 18th century

Mausoleum of the Plauzi and the Lucan bridge

Oil on canvas, cm 116 x 163

With frame 136 x 182

The landscape depicted here is a well-known glimpse of the Roman countryside. We are near Tivoli and the bridge that crosses the river Aniene is the Lucano bridge, erected between 10 and 14 A.D. by the will of the diumviro M. Plauzio Lucano, from which the name. The tower that you can see beyond the Aniene was a mausoleum used for the burial of the important family of Plauzi. Commissioned by the consul Marco Plauzio Silvano in the first years of the 1st century A.D. this building was later made a watchtower during the medieval period and maintained this use even under the papal government. The landscape designers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, both Italian and European, portrayed this evocative panorama several times, where you can appreciate the ancient ruins of the glorious past of the Roman Empire immersed in a pleasant and bucolic scenery. The presence of the river makes the setting even more pleasant, absolute protagonist of the composition despite the presence of some human figures who cross the bridge on foot or on a mule or sail along the Aniene passing under one of the arches that carve the pillars in brick. The fascination for ancient ruins and beautiful landscapes attracted many artists from all over the continent, as well as many young enthusiasts who at that time stopped in Rome on their great tour through Europe. Among the painters who painted this scene we can mention Gaspar Dughet, brother-in-law of Poussin, the German Jakob Philipp Hackert (1737-1807), Mathys Schoevaerdts (1665 -1707) from Brussels and the Livorno Pietro della Valle (1819 -1880). The amalgamation of architectural and natural elements unfolds in a harmonious and conciliatory manner on the basis of the warm tones of sunset, which ignite the candid clouds on the horizon and create contrasts of light of earthy color on buildings. To the pictorial qualities are added those inherent in the ancient historical context, carriers of an additional suggestion for those who contemplate the work; Both the bridge and the mausoleum are still visible today and can be compared with the painting from more than two centuries ago.