ABSTRACT
A reference to Roman antiquities in Pantagruel is the account of the erection of trophies, which had become a popular decorative element in triumphal entries inspired by Colonna's illustrations. Parallel influence of Colonna's antiquarian settings can also be seen in a contemporary of Rabelais, Nicolas Herberay des Essarts, in his French adaptations of the Amadis cycle. Francesco Colonna's great antiquarian fantasy, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, first published in 1499, made an immediate and lasting impact throughout Europe. This fascination with the remote past is also reflected in the success of Colonna's antiquarian fiction, especially following its translation and adaptation into Italian and into French. It is, however, a rather disappointing piece, being composed entirely from literary sources, like Vergil, Statius and Suetonius it discusses Homeric, Roman and Egyptian funeral rites, with an appendix on ancient Hebrew practices. In 1537, after return from Rome, Rabelais added the Marforii, bacalarii cubentis Rome, de pelendis mascarendisque cardinalium muli to the Librairie de Saint-Victor.
