1147 - J. B. Guibert, Maison Carrée in Nîmes after V. Guerin, engraving, Roman temple

J. B. Guibert, Maison Carrée in Nîmes after V. Guerin, engraving, Roman temple Copper engraving on paper after V. Guerin, lettered in the plate below the image in French 'VUE DE LA MAISON QUARRÉE DE NÎMES' with a line of dedication and the details of draughtsman and engraver, at the centre a coat of arms. The Roman temple stands in three-quarter view on a high stepped base, the Corinthian columns of the portico and the engaged columns of the long side drawn through to the capitals. At the left low dwelling houses with a tower adjoin, in the left foreground two pairs of figures enliven the square. Age-appropriate condition, creased, stained. Image 28 x 38 cm (HxW), overall size 34.5 x 44 cm (HxW) The Maison Carrée in Nîmes is the best preserved Roman temple of all; it was built around the turn of the era and dedicated to the grandsons of Augustus. From the 18th c. onwards architectural theorists regarded it as the model building of the Corinthian temple and it was engraved accordingly often; Thomas Jefferson took it as the model for the Virginia State Capitol. Sheets of this kind arose in the circle of the French surveys of antiquities of the late 18th c., with which the antiquities of the provinces were systematically documented for the first time. Since 2023 the building has been part of the World Heritage.