Pier Leone Ghezzi and the Antique
Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma
Via Omero 14
Roma
Data evento
27 November 2025
Pier Leone Ghezzi (1674–1755) was a remarkably versatile and successful artist whose interests extended far beyond painting and caricatures illustrating ‘il mondo novo’. His pursuits included music, theatre, medicine, and mineralogy, but above all he devoted much time and energy to the study and recording of antiquities. Fascination with the Antique marked his career from the very beginning, shaped by formative experiences such as his visits to the cave of Francesco de’ Ficoroni under the guidance of Carlo Maratta.
Between roughly 1720 and 1750, Ghezzi produced thousands of drawings documenting ancient marbles, terracottas, oil lamps, bronze figurines, engraved gems, and countless other objects. His work went well beyond visual reproduction: he frequently annotated his drawings with extensive commentary, offering interpretations of ancient iconographies, noting precise provenances and collections, and sharing his reflections on styles, techniques, materials, and functions.
This talk will explore Ghezzi’s engagement with antiquity through selected examples of his most significant and intriguing drawings. It will consider the origins of his classical interests, the influences that shaped his outlook, the range of antiquities he documented, and the methods that made his work so prolific. Ghezzi was not only a recorder but also an active participant in the antiquarian world: he bought antiquities on the art market, acted as an agent and advisor to some major collectors, and assembled his own collection. Although this collection has not survived, much of its contents such as engraved gems, oil lamps, and terracottas—are preserved through his drawings.