Models
In the XVIII century
among the rich it became fashionable to collect models of buildings, ruins and famous monuments, made of wood or cork. This craft, that originated in Naples in the XVI century with the scenarios of the cribs, developed to the benefit of wealthy collectors and travellers who only then had started to consider old ruins interesting and romantic. In 1778 the architect Thomas Hardwick had a model built by the Neapolitan master Giovanni Altieri, in scale 1:120, to exhibit at the Society of Antiquaries as a complement to the study he had made on the amphitheatre. Hardwick made some drawings, which we still have, but the model has been lost. There is also evidence of another model being made in 1789, based on the measurements carried out by the French architect Antoine Désgodetz (1653-1728). The same Désgodetz drawings were used by Antonio Chiti for the models that he sold all round Europe; two of these models of the Colosseum are still in Kassel and Darmstadt.
A drawing of the Colosseum by Antoine Désgodetz
The most famous model of the Colosseum is without any doubt the wooden reconstruction by Carlo Lucangeli (right). Lucangeli worked on it for 22 years, starting in 1790. He was the one who undertook the first scientific survey of the Colosseum in order to identify the architectural details. His studies led to the discovery of hidden parts of the monument, like the wall of the retropodio and the so-called Passaggio di Commodo. Lucangeli's notes were published after his death and circulated among the intellectuals, becoming one of the main sources of knowledge about the Colosseum. Between 1792 and 1805 Lucangeli had completed another cork model of "the actual state" of the Colosseum, which is now in Paris, at the École des Beaux-Arts. When Lucangeli died in 1812 the first wooden model still wasn't finished; it was completed only in 1815 by his son-in-law Paolo Dalbono and other artists. They added to it the ipogei of the arena (that were excavated after Lucangeli's death and by his will), the seats and the velarium.
The Lucangeli model
Lucangeli's model had a tormented life: it was transported to London from 1815 to 1819; when it was shipped back the boxes were impounded at the Port of Rome because of customs problems. Lucangeli's heirs sold it to the rich collector Emanuele Godoy, who placed it in his house on the Celian hill. The model passed through several hands, until in 1855 Count Zeloni proposed to the (then Vatican) State to exhibit the model for a fee inside the Colosseum, even though he had pawned it at the Monte di Pietà (the Roman official pawnshop in 1851). The newborn Italian government remained unmoved: in 1874 it was proposed that the State should redeem the model from the Monte di Pietà, but nothing happened. In 1879 the archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani planned an Antiquarium - a Museum - on the first floor of the amphitheatre, but the works started only in 1883. By now, the model was considerably ruined, because its detachable sections had been "heaped up like firewood", therefore it had to undergo restoration. In the end, in 1895 it was placed in the Colosseum, where it still is, and formally dedicated.
The Lindenau model
In Germany the reproductions of Carl May, who copied Chiti's models in Kassel, and of his sons Georg and Maximilian were very popular. They made a model in 1:60 scale, finished in 1853, that is now in Aschaffenburg. The model preserved in Altenburg is attributed to the Roman shop of Luigi Carotti.
In the XVIII century
among the rich it became fashionable to collect models of buildings, ruins and famous monuments, made of wood or cork. This craft, that originated in Naples in the XVI century with the scenarios of the cribs, developed to the benefit of wealthy collectors and travellers who only then had started to consider old ruins interesting and romantic. In 1778 the architect Thomas Hardwick had a model built by the Neapolitan master Giovanni Altieri, in scale 1:120, to exhibit at the Society of Antiquaries as a complement to the study he had made on the amphitheatre. Hardwick made some drawings, which we still have, but the model has been lost. There is also evidence of another model being made in 1789, based on the measurements carried out by the French architect Antoine Désgodetz (1653-1728). The same Désgodetz drawings were used by Antonio Chiti for the models that he sold all round Europe; two of these models of the Colosseum are still in Kassel and Darmstadt.
A drawing of the Colosseum by Antoine Désgodetz
The most famous model of the Colosseum is without any doubt the wooden reconstruction by Carlo Lucangeli (right). Lucangeli worked on it for 22 years, starting in 1790. He was the one who undertook the first scientific survey of the Colosseum in order to identify the architectural details. His studies led to the discovery of hidden parts of the monument, like the wall of the retropodio and the so-called Passaggio di Commodo. Lucangeli's notes were published after his death and circulated among the intellectuals, becoming one of the main sources of knowledge about the Colosseum. Between 1792 and 1805 Lucangeli had completed another cork model of "the actual state" of the Colosseum, which is now in Paris, at the École des Beaux-Arts. When Lucangeli died in 1812 the first wooden model still wasn't finished; it was completed only in 1815 by his son-in-law Paolo Dalbono and other artists. They added to it the ipogei of the arena (that were excavated after Lucangeli's death and by his will), the seats and the velarium.
The Lucangeli model
Lucangeli's model had a tormented life: it was transported to London from 1815 to 1819; when it was shipped back the boxes were impounded at the Port of Rome because of customs problems. Lucangeli's heirs sold it to the rich collector Emanuele Godoy, who placed it in his house on the Celian hill. The model passed through several hands, until in 1855 Count Zeloni proposed to the (then Vatican) State to exhibit the model for a fee inside the Colosseum, even though he had pawned it at the Monte di Pietà (the Roman official pawnshop in 1851). The newborn Italian government remained unmoved: in 1874 it was proposed that the State should redeem the model from the Monte di Pietà, but nothing happened. In 1879 the archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani planned an Antiquarium - a Museum - on the first floor of the amphitheatre, but the works started only in 1883. By now, the model was considerably ruined, because its detachable sections had been "heaped up like firewood", therefore it had to undergo restoration. In the end, in 1895 it was placed in the Colosseum, where it still is, and formally dedicated.
The Lindenau model
In Germany the reproductions of Carl May, who copied Chiti's models in Kassel, and of his sons Georg and Maximilian were very popular. They made a model in 1:60 scale, finished in 1853, that is now in Aschaffenburg. The model preserved in Altenburg is attributed to the Roman shop of Luigi Carotti.
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