Musei Capitolini

Erudite Florentine scholar Giovanni Gaetano Bottari (1689-1775) was a scientist and theologian but is best remembered for his contributions to a wide range of historical art publications. He went to Rome in 1750 where he was appointed by Pope Benedict XIV as custodian of the Vatican Library.

The images here (click for full size versions) come from a 4-volume set from ~1755, 'Musei Capitolini' which were (pretty obviously) a catalogue of the sculptural holdings of the Capitoline Museums of Rome - a group of art and archaeological repositories atop the Capitoline Hill in Rome. The majority of the engravings appear to be from ancient Roman sculptures but there are occasional items from ancient Greece and Egypt.

• This 'Musei Capitolini' series is but one from a large collection of digitized ancient architecture/art history works in the Stichwerke website of Universität zu Köln. There is a lot in here to browse (note the 'Weitere seiten' - next page - button at the bottom of each thumbnail page). I haven't really begun to look through the collection myself, although I'm sure to return.
  
• Monumenta Rariora (in english)- I stumbled across this site which again, I've hardly skimmed, but it has engravings of rare monuments, funnily enough. [landing page]
• Capitoline Museums at Wikipedia.
• Musei Capitolini homepage.
• Giovanni Gaetano Bottari at Wikipedia (french) (translation)
• A link I've been hanging onto for a long time: 'Baroque Rome in the etchings of Giuseppe Vasi' - a mentor of Giovanni Battista Piranesi.
• Previously: Classical Piranesi (there was a maltranslated mention somewhere of Bottari being a collaborator on something with Piranesi - possibly the work linked in this entry); Visualizing Rome.
• My thanks to misteraitch and Florian.