![]() 21 The Antichità Romane represented a milestone in the history of classical archaeology, a newly established area of study for historians. Piranesi’s expansive topographical knowledge of Rome allowed him to place the many diverse and isolated ancient remains into the broader context of Rome’s new urban development. As depicted in the views of the burial chamber and tomb, Piranesi balances the picturesque appearance of Roman architecture with detailed explanatory text in one plate. The more than 250 images feature original methods of illustration, combining an impressive amount of data and skilled etchings into a single plate. Its purpose was the education of contemporary designers and their patrons. Antichità Romane itself set out to provide a sweeping overview of the archaeological information on Ancient Rome Piranesi gathered over the years. This production rapidly earned Piranesi an international reputation, as evidenced by his election to the Honorary Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries of London a year later. The results of Piranesi’s comprehensive research were presented in the four volumes of the Antichità Romane (1756). Piranesi spent his first few years in Rome measuring and sketching ancient architectural sites. Sebastiano, 1756, etching and engraving (Davidson Galleries) A Man Leading a Woman into a Gallery of Antiquities and Decorative Arts, n.d.Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Veduta di un Sepolcro creduto de'Scipioni fuori di Porta S.Sketch of Joseph Holding the Christ Child, c.Architectural Fantasy (recto) Architectural Details (verso), n.d.Adoration of the Shepherds (recto) Three Sketches: Buildings by Canal with Boats, Landscape with Buldings on Hillside, Buildings with Portico (verso), c.Peter’s Basilica and Piazza in the Vatican, from Views of Rome, 1748 View of the Temple of Jupiter Tonans, from Views of Rome, 1750/59.The Gothic Arch, plate 14 from Imaginary Prisons, 1761.Temple of Peace, plate six from Some Views of Triumphal Arches and other Monuments, 1748 Prisoners on a Projecting Platform, plate 10 from Imaginary Prisons, 1761.The Pyramid of Gaius Cestius, from Views of Rome, 1750/59, published 1800–07.The Lion Bas-Reliefs, plate 5 from Imaginary Prisons, 1761.The Pier with a Lamp, plate 15 from Imaginary Prisons, 1761.The Giant Wheel, plate 9 from Imaginary Prisons, 1761.Pancrazio, from Views of Rome, 1776, published 1800–07 View of Ponte Lugano on the Anio, from Views of Rome, 1763, published 1800–07.The Art Institute’s drawings Palatial Courtyard with a Fountain and Six Figures are examples of his energetic penmanship that showcase his talent for depicting complex architectural spaces and animated human figures. Produced with the tourist market in mind, these iconic images of exaggeratedly scaled buildings remain important documents of the mid-18th-century Roman urban landscape.Īlthough mainly known as a printmaker,with over a thousand print designs produced during his 40-year career, Piranesi was also an original draftsman. The Art Institute has complete sets of both editions.įirst appearing in the 1740s, Piranesi’s Vedute di Roma ( Views of Rome), a series of 135 prints published over the course of more than 30 years, revolutionized the way in which both ancient monuments and the modern cityscape of Rome were depicted. ![]() After printing a first edition around 1749–50, Piranesi thoroughly reworked the plates for a second edition in 1761, making all the designs more ominous and adding two new compositions. In this series of 14 large etchings Piranesi used his knowledge of Roman architecture and stage design to create cavernous vaulted interiors populated by diminutive figures, labyrinthine staircases and balustrades, and eerie machinery. After a few visits to Venice in the 1740s,during which he probably met the influential painter and etcher Giambattista Tiepolo, he permanently settled in Rome, where he published his most well-known work: the Carceri ( Imaginary Prisons). Trained in Venice in architecture and engineering, Piranesi was a pioneer in archaeology, and through the wide dissemination of his prints, he became one of the most influential architects, designers, and printmakers of the 18th century.Īfter moving to Rome at the age of 20, Piranesi established professional links with the artist Giovanni Paolo Panini and the architect and surveyor Giambattista Nolli. ![]() ![]() The Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi is best known for his numerous etchings depicting the monuments of ancient and modern Rome.
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