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Overview
Jacob (sometimes Jakob) Wilhelm Mechau (1745-1808) was a major late 18th century German painter and printmaker. Indeed, the Romantic painter Philipp Otto Runge considered him the most important landscape painter of the time. He studied in Berlin and Dresden before moving to Rome, where he enjoyed two extended stays between 1776 and 1798. (Mechau temporarily returned to Germany, returning in turn to Italy after failing to get the recognition from the Dresden Academy that he believed he deserved). The etching, inscribed 'Roma 1792', depicts an idyllic landscape scene, strongly influenced by the paintings and etchings of Claude Lorrain, of Ponte Mello (Ponte Milvio).
Mechau harks back to a long distant time before Rome had encroached on the bridge, which was the locale for the famous Battle of the Milvian Bridge, AD 312, when Constantine defeated Maxentius. Today it is known for its love padlocks and football hooligans.Three fishermen stand on the river shore; the bridge of the title is in the centre, and on the right, overhanging trees act as a characterisically Claudian coulisse - the flat pieces of scenery on a theatre stage. This etching belongs to the series Malerisch radirte Prospekte aus Italien ('Picturesque etchings of views from Italy') (1792-98), consisting of 72 prints published by Johann Friedrich Frauenholz, one of the most important German art collectors, dealers and publishers of the era. The other artists involved in the project were Albert Christoph Dies and Johann Christian Reinhart, the latter being the most famous of the three and represented in Te Papa's collection by four etchings.
Sources:
Wikipedia, 'Jacob Wilhelm Mechau', https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Wilhelm_Mechau.
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art February 2019