Ballo nella Strada

Ballo nella Strada is a beautiful etching and hand-colored gouache, finely engraved on copper and printed on laid paper. The work, which presents a remarkable quality of strokes and brilliant colors, is unsigned, but it is part of the 20 plates engraved in 1820 by the Swedish artist Carl Gustaf Hjalmar Mörner (or umo?rner) during his stay in Rome, certainly influenced by the style and manner of the coeval folkloric prints made by Bartolomeo Pinelli (cfr. Hermanin F., Una collezione di stampe e disegni dell’antico carnevale romano , Bollettino d’Arte, Rome, year I, January 1907, p. 28, cit.).

The title is engraved on plate on the lower center, and the print is numbered 2 on the lower right. The quality and conditions of preservation of the print are excellent. Small ink mistakes are present on the margins of the plate.

A Roman street is represented during the famous Carnival , a period of leisure and celebration in the city. Many characters are represented, also in disguise, playing instruments and dancing in front of a typical tavern with the sign Alle Tre Colonne .

The engraving is very pleasant and fun, presenting a dynamic composition, vivid colors, and precise strokes. Furthermore, this is a significant work as a folkloric tale of the carefree life in Rome during the Carnival.