Immagine dell’antico nel Seicento. Le prime indagini antiquarie tra scienza e meraviglia

This article investigates the major role played by artists in 17th century antiquarian research, highlighting how their works exerted a decisive influence on the perception of antiquity and the first investigations devoted to ancient civilisations. The investigation also dwells on the concept of the ‘Greek manner’ and the centrality of the representational modes adopted by masters of the stature of François Duquesnoy and Nicolas Poussin, active in Rome at the time. The epistemological function of the reproduction of antiquity as a methodological forerunner of the modern discipline of archaeology is emphasised. Particular prominence is given to the innovative work of Cassiano dal Pozzo, whose synthesis of scientific rigour and artistic sensitivity laid the foundations for the development of future research and stylistic insights.