Giuseppe Gatteschi
Giuseppe Gatteschi | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1866 |
| Died | 1935 |
| Occupation | draftsman |
Giuseppe Gatteschi (c. 1866 – 1935) was an Italian draftsman, known for his meticulous reconstructions of the urban landscape of ancient Rome. From the 1890s until his death in 1935, he made this work his vocation and his obsession. His method of reconstruction was based on his own photographic documentation of the contemporary landscape, combined with a careful reading of ancient and medieval descriptions, as well as the archaeological publications of his contemporaries. His authority rests essentially on the graphic synthesis of these various elements, rather than on scientific expertise.
Gatteschi was born in Alexandria, on Sept. 29, 1866. He was contemporary with the architect Paul Bigot, who produced watercolors and later a 3D model of the Plan of Rome. Like Bigot, Gatteschi chose to reconstruct the city at the time of the height of imperial power, that is, during the reign of Emperor Constantine.
Gatteschi's work was published during his lifetime in the form of prints[1] and book illustrations, and compiled in his masterpiece, Restauri della Roma imperiale : con gli stati attuali ed il testo spiegativo in quattro lingue (Rome, 1924). On the prints, Gatteschi is designated “archaeologist” rather than “artist,” the latter designation being applied to other artists such as Guido Trabacchi (1862–1938). Gatteschi's archives, including his photographs and original illustrations, are held at the American Academy in Rome.
Gatteschi died at Rome on March 20, 1935.
Works
- Restauri della Roma imperiale : con gli stati attuali ed il testo spiegativo in quattro lingue, Rome:Max Bretschneider, 1924.
- La Roma dei Cesari. The Imperial Rome (Simonetta Magaldi and Sergio Lambiase, eds.), Naples: Intra Moenia, 2009. (Anastatic reprint of the 1924 work, with a biographical note on Gatteschi and critical texts.)
External links
- 1908 print produced from a drawing by Gatteschi. Alinari Archives, Florence.
- Gatteschi collection at the American Academy in Rome
- Photo of Gatteschi investigating the basements of the Servian Wall in Rome, August 1909.
References
- ^ Fikret Yegül and Diane Favro, Roman Architecture and Urbanism From the Origins to Late Antiquity (Cambridge University Press, 2019), figs. 2.1 and 12.9.