Reliëfs op de Boog van Titus te Rome

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 3937

Art Historical Context

This albumen print presents a close view of the Arch of Titus in Rome, focusing on its richly carved upper sections. Strong natural light highlights the procession of sculpted figures along the frieze, the ornate moldings, and the partial Latin inscription naming the emperors Vespasian and Titus. Below, the coffered underside of the archway recedes into shadow, while the weathered stone surfaces reveal centuries of texture and detail through the photographer’s careful framing. Gustave Eugène Chauffourier made this photograph between roughly 1875 and 1900 as part of his extensive documentation of classical monuments in Italy. Working in the newly popular medium of albumen printing, he captured the reliefs with clarity that allowed viewers to study ancient Roman craftsmanship from afar. The print now belongs to the Rijksmuseum collection, where it preserves both the monument and the nineteenth-century interest in recording antiquity through photography.