19th century reconstruction of Colosseum

This is not another computer visualization of a famous monument. It’s a work of art in itself. It was made in 1829 and its author is Louis Duc, a scholarship holder of the French Academy in Rome. Reconstruction was his scholarship work.

The reconstruction is made entirely by hand – the number of details included by the author and their precision are truly impressive: statues, bronze trusses, pilasters, velarium masts, the play of chiaroscuro… I don’t have to describe it, let everyone admire and be delighted by it. The authors of contemporary virtual reconstructions of the Colosseum could learn from Mr. Duc, who only had a pencil and a piece of paper at his disposal…