Lafréry, Antoine (publisher)

In this engraving, Antoine Lafréry depicts the colossal Roman copies of the Greek sculptures that sit atop the Quirinal Hill in Rome. They portray two men, possibly the fabled twins Castor and Pollux, who are presented as godlike in their stature and mirrored in their positions. This print, and many others, areincluded in Lafréry’s encyclopedic collection of prints, Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (1575), and demonstrate the enduring influence of antiquity as representative of Rome’s fortitude.