Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Sacrifice on the Campus Martius

Art Historical Context

This engraving, part of Antonio Lafreri’s renowned series *Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae* (“Mirror of Roman Magnificence”), captures a sacrificial ceremony on the ancient Campus Martius. Created in the 16th century, the print depicts men and women gathered around an altar with sacrificial animals and ritual axes, evoking the religious practices of imperial Rome. Lafreri, a leading publisher of prints in Rome, compiled such images to document the city’s classical heritage for scholars, pilgrims, and collectors. As an engraving, the work exemplifies the Renaissance technique of reproducing de...

About the Artist

Antonio Lafreri|Anonymous|Antonio Lafreri · 1507–1577

Antonio Lafreri, born Antoine du Pérac Lafréry around 1512 in Orgelet in the County of Burgundy (modern-day France), emerged as one of the most influential print publishers of the 16th century after settling in Rome around 1540. His early life and training remain sparsely documented, with no records of specific teachers or art schools; he arrived in the Eternal City as an engraver, producing works...