Restoring Rome: 16th Century

Pope Leo X commissioned Raphael to draw sketches to document the ruins of Rome, suggesting how they

Might be preserved. Raphael was also appointed custodian of classical antiquities, a position that gave him ample opportunity to study antique buildings and fragments for his own architectural designs. With papal support, Rome was flourishing as a center of architecture and art in the 1520s. The Italian Wars (see Chapter 7, Warfare), however, reached the gates of Rome in 1527. The papacy had been in league with France, Venice, and the duke of Milan against the emperor Charles V, whose German and Spanish troops of some 30,000 soldiers overran Rome in May 1527, sacking the city and destroying monuments for several months. The occupation by foreign troops lasted nine

4.3 Plan, elevation, and section of the ruins of the Roman Colosseum. Woodcut by Sebastiano Serlio, in his Il terzo libro nel qual si figurano, e descrivono la antiqua di Roma (Third book in which are illustrated and described the antiquities of Rome, 1540, the book on which many other Renaissance books illustrating architecture were modeled). (Photograph courtesy of Sotheby’s Inc., © 2003)

Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe

Months and Rome was devastated, physically and financially. As we have seen, this attack caused noted architects to flee from Rome to other areas. They took their classical training and affinity for the antique to cities that otherwise might not have had access to their expertise. Rome, however, did not recover from the events of 1527-28 for several decades.

Many of the artists who were in Rome to learn about classical styles and building techniques made drawings of the ruins they were studying. This documentation gives us a fairly clear idea of the major monuments as the Renaissance saw them. The French painter Etienne Duperac (c. 1525-1604), for example, journeyed to Rome in 1550. His drawings executed during the next three decades provided a valuable historic record, especially the engravings published in 1575, Vestigi deirantichita di Roma (Remains of the antiquity of Rome). Another tool for architects and city planners were the maps of Rome, including maps and views of the ancient monuments, published during the 16th century. Although such maps were being drawn during the 15th century, for example, by Alberti, topographic printing of the 16th century gave architects across Europe greater access to this visual information. These maps also helped to promote interest in preserving the vestiges of the ancient city among antiquarians and scholars.