Portret van archeoloog Carlo Fea 1813

Pietro Fontana created this print of Carlo Fea, the noted archaeologist, in Rome sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. The image presents Fea as a figure of the Enlightenment – rational, composed, and forward-looking, framed by a classical oval. However, Fea was not simply an objective scholar. He was deeply involved in the politics of his time, a period when the Catholic Church still exerted considerable influence over intellectual life. Fea was a vocal critic of ecclesiastical power, and his archaeological work was often intertwined with his reformist agenda. Fontana’s print thus participates in a cultural and intellectual battle. It presents Fea as a modern hero of reason, implicitly contrasting him with the more conservative elements of Roman society. To fully understand this image, we can consult not only art historical sources, but also political pamphlets, letters, and other documents that shed light on the debates that animated Roman society at the time.