Ancient Rome in the Age of Copyright: the Privilegio and Printed Reconstructions

Abstract

The subject of this article is the expanding print culture in 16th century Rome. Antiquarian engravings were especially popular, drawing on the city’s unparalleled legacy of classical monuments. The huge profits to be made from prints led to an early form of copyright, the privilegio, valid for a certain period of time and threatening lawbreakers with financial compensation. Printers and publishers thus sought papal authorities for this special favor in order to prevent their expertly rendered reconstructions from being copied The privilegio, this article argues, had on some occasions the intended effect, forcing competitors on the market to await its expiry before making their own versions. In other instances the privilegio simply made keen rivals circumvent the protection: they altered the original design to the point where it no longer legally could be judged a copy. The consequence this manipulation had for the print industry is only one aspect; more dramatic i show it transformed archaeology itself. The changes inflicted, in order to evade sanctions, not only changed the face of ancient Rome but resulted in a style that inspired the emerging Baroque.