Tomb of Clement X
Alessandro Specchi, Italian, 1668 - 1729
1715
Engraving on wove paper
Plate: 12 1/16 × 7 13/16 in. (30.6 × 19.9 cm)
Sheet: 19 1/2 × 15 3/8 in. (49.6 × 39 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Robert Dance, Class of 1977
PR.993.42.39
Portfolio / Series Title
Numismata summorum pontificum Templi Vaticani fabricam indicantia
Geography
Place Made: Italy, Europe
Period
1600-1800
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Inscriptions
Signed, in plate, lower right: Alexander Specchi delin.; inscribed, in plate, lower left: Arnoldo Van Westerhout Sculp.; inscribed, in plate, upper left: Tabula 34; inscribed, in plate, in image, below center: CLEMENS X / ALTERIIS ROM. / PONT. MAX.; inscribed, in graphite, lower right: 1670-76
Label
Placed in significant locations in churches, tombs were public monuments that commemorated important leaders, preserving their accomplishments for future generations. Located in St. Peter’s Basilica, the tomb of Pope Clement X was designed shortly after his death in 1676. Famous even in its day for its large scale and use of colorful, rare marbles, the tomb projected a sense of power and majesty. Flanking the immortalized pope, allegorical figures of Clemency and Benignity attest to his virtuous character. This print belongs to a book of illustrations of the Vatican published to promote church history. Through his sculpted image and its reproduction in print, Clement X could retain his status for generations to come.
From the 2024 exhibition Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, curated by Elizabeth Rice Mattison, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art, and Ashley B. Offill, Curator of Collections
Course History
ARTH 17, Italian Renaissance Architecture: Issues and Approaches, Lauren Jacobi, Winter 2013
History 42.01, Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies 22.01, Gender & European Society, Patrick Meehan, Spring 2024
History 96.39, Saints and Relics, Cecilia Gaposchkin, Spring 2024
Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Noemi Perego, Spring 2024
Italian 11.01, Intensive Italian, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2024
Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Tania Convertini, Spring 2024
Italian 3.02, Introductory Italian III, Giorgio Alberti, Spring 2024
Exhibition History
Living with Sculpture: Presence and Power in Europe, 1400–1750, Citrin Family Gallery and Engles Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 23, 2024–March 22, 2025.
Provenance
Robert Dance, New York, New York; given to present collection, 1993.
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