Arch of Septimius Severus

In its day, the Arcus Argentariorum was part of an extraordinary centrepiece completed in 1778 by the Roman architect Luigi Valadier, comprising obelisks, triumphal columns, triumphal arches, temples and vessels that exquisitely evoked the architecture of Ancient Rome. The centrepiece was purchased in Paris in 1786 by the Spanish ambassador Pedro Abarca de Bolea, the 10th Count of Aranda, for Prince Charles, the future King Charles IV. The ornamental function of these objects emerged alongside the taste for the Neoclassical and the interest aroused by the Roman ruins that were visited by travellers on the Grand Tour. This piece recreates the triumphal arch conserved in the Forum Boarium, next to the San Giorgio in Velabro church, that was dedicated to the emperor Septimius Severus in the year 204 by Roman money exchangers, to commemorate his military victories. It was built using giallo antico marble, antico green jasper, pavonazetto marble and gilded bronze. On this decorative object, the scenes and characters from the original arch have been carved on translucent amber plates, laid over gold leaf so that its sparkle emphasises the low relief.