Abraham-Louis-Rodolphe Ducros and Giovanni Volpato

The ‘Vatican Museum’ was started under Clement XIV (Pope between 1769 and 1774) and completed under Pius VI (Pope between 1775 to 1799). New archaeological discoveries and acquisitions were placed in the rooms, which were designed by Michelangelo Simonetti (d. 1787). Grasping an opportunity to supply Grand Tourists with souvenirs, Ducros and Volpato went into business together to create sets of 14 images of the interiors. It is presumed that Ducros made the original drawings that were later engraved in Volpato’s studio and eventually coloured by Ducros.