[Mörner af Morlanda, Carl Gustaf Hjalmar]

Il carnevale di Roma.

Roma, presso Francesco Bourlié, 1820. Oblong folio. Title-leaf, one leaf of descriptive text and 20 plates (surface 21 x 47 cm) executed in line-etching, all in extremely fine water-colouring, possibly by Mörner himself; cut along plate mark, mounted on grey cardboard and numbered in ink as issued. Later green cloth, title lettered in gilt on upper cover. The carnival which fired Mörner’s imagination took place in 1820. It is depicted as a frieze. Copies in original water-colouring, as the present one, are extremely rare. The following description of the plates is by the artist himself:
The Carnival in Rome.
Perchance, gentlemen connoisseurs, you who have embraced the fine arts will not be averse to being given an idea of the carnival in Rome. Alone of its kind, and the most brilliant of those you can see in Europe, this eight-day festivity combines such activities and scenes that, having set myself the task of giving you a general impression of it, I found it impossible to convey it all in just one or two pictures. I have, therefore, produced as many as twenty pictures, in numerical order so that, taken together, they form a frieze to adorn a cabinet. Anyone who has in person enjoyed this spectacle will even at first glance grasp the subject of the pictures without any explanation. Nevertheless, permit me, after having faithfully painted it all as it was in real life, briefly to single out some of the most characteristic and original features.
Picture 1.
This picture, which serves as a frontispiece, represents an open booth in which some people are busy masking themselves, while others have already done so, and one in their midst is trying on a wig in front of a mirror. In the distance you can see, on horseback, the so-called "Fedeli del Campidoglio", a sort of papal official, who, on the first day of the carnival, parade, to the sound of trumpets, the eight prizes destined for the winners of the eight races, which are run with a breed of African horse known as "Barbari".
Picture 2. Dancing in the street.
Masked Romans, whether acquainted with each other or not, and passing each other in the street, mingle in merry dances and ludicrous frolics, often with witty improvisations, all without the least disorder arising.
Pictures 3, 4, 5, and 6. Piazza del Popolo, the people's square.
The famous square, which is the starting-point for the races, is in its centre adorned with an ancient obelisk, around which those racing pass. The government has, well-advisedly, posted soldiers there to prevent dangerous overtaking by the coachmen. In the middle of the picture, close to the pedestal of the obelisk, is a carriage filled with masked people adorned with garlands in the Roman manner.
Picture 4.
A man selling sugar-coated pellets is shouting, loud enough to deafen you if you stand close to him. He also shows you how to throw the pellets a long or short distance, soiling people's costumes. Three "Baglierini" (those who sell seats to spectators) are leaning on their stand. They are busy telling each other anecdotes in tones of mock-solemnity.
Picture 5.
Among some groups of masked individuals one in particular stands out: namely a fat innkeeper who, dressed up as a lady, but without a mask to his face in order to make it all the more entertaining, is smoking a pipe.
Pictures 7, 8, 9, and 10. Il Corso, the race-course.
Picture 7.
You can see groups of masked people, though some are bare-faced, as the lower classes usually are. A man who assumes an air of importance is led by his wife with a thread through his nose. You can also see a battle being fought with sweets between a fellow dressed as a clown and some people standing on a balcony.
Picture 10.
A man dressed as a gardener throws from the street towards some windows small bouquets with a device called a "scaletta".
Picture 11.
No sooner have the horses passed some point or other than each of them wants to run in the middle of the track, notwithstanding the guards' efforts to prevent them.
Picture 12. The passing of the horses.
The crowd encourages the horses with shouting, whistling and the waving of hats and hankerchiefs.
Picture 13.
This shows people on either side of the street impatiently awaiting the arrival of the horses. The military, posted in large numbers, keep back the spectators in their prescribed area.
Pictures 14, 15, 16, and 17. The candles. The candle-lit cortège.
This truly eccentric ceremony begins on the last Tuesday evening. Having been prohibited a few years ago, it has now been restored to its earlier form with the permission of the government. The people, carrying lighted candles, perform the obsequies of the carnival. Everyone who is able blows out the candle of the person standing next to him or her, and in the act assumes a ludicrous facial expression previously agreed upon. The whole Corso overflows with candles.
Picture 17.
At the last carnival, in 1820, when the idea of writing these pages was born within me, at the very moment when the candle-lit procession went past the arrival of a Florentine carriage, drawn by four mules, provided a singular contrast. You see the carriage filled with goods and chattels and passengers who out of curiosity are sticking their heads out of the carriage windows so as to enjoy the vivid spectacle, while at the same time providing a spectacle themselves. A ragamuffin, holding on to one of the carriage springs, follows the wheel like a shadow and presently attracts the attention of the crowd to himself.
Pictures 18 and 19. Il Festino, gathering for the ball.
Picture 18.
This shows the Teatro Aliberti [or the Alberti theatre] fully illuminated. People wend their way to it from the festivities in the Corso and the ball begins early in the evening. Great numbers of people of all kinds converge there, with or without masks. Even the well-known dwarf from the new coffee-house has come into the room and forms a stark contrast to a proud grenadier on the left-hand side who towers over everyone.
Picture 19.
Here you can see the dancing led by two orchestras, which take turns to play.
Picture 20. The end of the carnival.
Inside a tavern are several rooms where people in some haste take a snack, talk, drink, sleep. On the left there enters a beautiful young lady soaked by the rain. A cavalier with an umbrella in his hand escorts her. To the right is a woman who supports her drunken husband. Margareta Winqvist, Hjalmar Mörner. Kosmopolit. Folklivs-skildrare. Litograf, Stockholm 1972, pp. 46–65. Colas 530 (uncoloured). Lipperheide 2864 (uncoloured). Svenskt Konstnärslexikon, 4, pp. 174–5.

• GBP 12,000.00 > otras divisas
• nº de pedido: 04304

• librero: Lowendahl Rare Books Ltd (THAILAND)