Casa di Cornelio Ruffo Pompei
1857 - 1875
Medium
albumen print
Dimensions
317; 479
About this artwork
verzamelaarsmerk, recto, gestempeld: ‘VOSMAER’
Art Historical Context
Step into the sunlit ruins of ancient Pompe with Giorgio Sommer's *Casa di Cornelio Ruffopei* (c. 1857–1875), a captivating albumen print measuring 317 × 479 mm. Sommer, a pioneering German-Italian photographer based in Naples, masterfully documented Italy's archaeological treasures during the height of 19th-century. This image captures the House of Cornelius Rufus, a well-preserved Roman domus buried by Vesuvius in 79 CE, offering visitors a vivid window into daily life amid frescoed walls and atriums. The albumen print medium—made by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts—revolution...
About the Artist
Giorgio Sommer
Giorgio Sommer, born Georg Sommer on September 2, 1834, in Frankfurt am Main within the German Confederation, emerged as one of 19th-century Europe's most prolific photographers. After studying business in his hometown, where his family fortune was reportedly lost to his father's gambling, Sommer apprenticed as a photographer before launching his professional career in Switzerland, producing relie...