{"product_id":"pietro-santi-bartoli-trajans-column-engraving-plate-52-c1672","title":"Original Prints: Antique c.1672 Pietro Santi Bartoli Trajan's Column, Plate 52","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis antique copperplate engraving stands as an extraordinary museum-tier masterpiece for serious fine art and classical antiquities collectors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHand-engraved in Rome by the celebrated Baroque master Pietro Santi Bartoli, this heavy period print is Plate 52 from his authoritative documentation of the reliefs on Trajan's Column. The dense, dramatic composition depicts the historical final battle between the Roman legions and the Dacians, showcasing remarkable muscle anatomy, shields, weaponry, and intense hand-incised cross-hatched details. Housed in a custom silver-leaf beaded gallery frame with a substantial slate-grey display mount, this rare investment antiquity brings an unmatched scholarly presence to an executive library or boardroom wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an authentic 17th-century engraving by Pietro Santi Bartoli (Italian, 1635–1700). The far lower-left corner carries his official engraved workshop monogram signature \"P. S. B.\" directly outside the lower text frame line. The bottom layout features an elegant, two-column Italian historical narrative inscription detailing the fall of the Dacian king Decebalus. Professionally conserved locally, the reverse side retains its gallery sticker from \"The Frame Forum, Rosebank\" and is fitted with strong suspension cord hardware.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginal Use: Historical Purpose\u003cbr\u003eCreated as a scholarly documentation tool, this copperplate engraving was produced in Rome in the early 1670s to make Trajan’s Column readable for the first time in history. Pietro Santi Bartoli, working under the patronage of Queen Christina of Sweden, built wooden scaffolding around the monument so he could sketch each relief at eye level. The engravings were intended for archaeologists, antiquarians, architects, and classical scholars, providing a permanent visual record of the column’s 200‑metre spiral narrative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlate 52 specifically preserved the climactic moment of the Dacian Wars — the fall of King Decebalus — ensuring that future generations could study Roman military formations, armour, and battle iconography without climbing the monument itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlternate Use: Historical \u0026amp; Modern Relevance\u003cbr\u003eOver the centuries, Bartoli’s engravings evolved from scholarly tools into collectible fine‑art antiquities, prized by museums, universities, and private collectors. In the 18th and 19th centuries, they were used in academic lectures, architectural training, and military history studies, serving as reference material long before photography existed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, surviving impressions like this one function as investment‑grade antiquities, often displayed in executive libraries, boardrooms, heritage interiors, and curated private collections. Their deep burin‑cut lines, archaeological accuracy, and royal patronage make them significant cultural artefacts — valued not only for their beauty, but for their role in preserving Rome’s imperial history.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shift2ThriftVintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48380892774598,"sku":"Listing 029-November-2026","price":11300.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0748\/2163\/2198\/files\/BattleScenefromColumnofTrajanbyPietroSantiBartoli021.jpg?v=1792554451","url":"https:\/\/shift2thriftvintage.co.za\/af\/products\/pietro-santi-bartoli-trajans-column-engraving-plate-52-c1672","provider":"Shift2ThriftVintage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}