Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Pantheon, Interior of the Portico

1769

The Monumental Tablet Etching, engraving, drypoint and burnishing, c. 1748 Series: Grotteschi (Grotesques, 4 plates) Original, unwashed condition. Excellent. Second edition first is...

Veduta dell'esterno della gran Basilica di S. Pietro in Vaticano (View of the Exterior of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican) Etching, 1748 From the first printing of the "Vedute di Roma" An early impression with strong contrasts Before the price and the addition of numbers in the later states. A view of Michelangelo's done from behind the Piazza, redesigned in 1547 Condition: Excellent Plate size: 15 3/4 x 24 3/4 inches Reference: Robison 5 a/g Hind 5 i/VII Focillon 54.789 Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome (these equivalent titles being held by the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome), St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines...

Galleria grande di Statue Etching, 1743 Signed lower left corner of the plate From: Prima Parte, 1743 Second edition: 1750-1778 Watermark: R 37-39 A lifetime impression printed during Piranesi’s life, before the plates are moved to Paris by his sons in the 1790’s Condition: Excellent Image size: 14 5/8 x 9 3/4 inches Reference: Robison 2 iii/V Piranesi In Rome: Prima Parte di Architetture e Prospettive "Although Piranesi studied architecture in Venice, he never was able to find work in the field other than a few jobs involving remodeling in Rome. While Piranesi was struggling to support his architectural endeavors upon his arrival in Rome in 1740, he spent a short period of time in the studio of master painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) in addition to his apprenticeship with Giuseppe Vasi. The first production of Piranesi’s early years in Rome and a culmination of his training under Vasi, Tiepolo, and his uncle, was the Prima Parte di Architetture e Prospettive (1743). The Prima Parte was a collection of twelve etchings of imaginary temples, palaces, ruins, and a prison. During this time, Piranesi was still developing the unique style of etching he is known for today, and as such the Prima Parte differs significantly in technique compared to later works. In the Frontispiece of the Prima Parte, Piranesi’s lines are definite and exact with very little flow to them, designed in the form of traditional etching. The detail is immaculate, and yet perspective of the piece is oddly simple and familiar to the viewer. Piranesi’s technique employs miniscule markings and lines, intricately woven together to create a stippling effect. The Prima Parte, described as “rigid” by art historian Jonathan Scott, came to be seen as a stark contrast to his later sketches, which were much lighter and freer. Influenced by the style of Tiepolo, which epitomized the lightness and brightness of the Rococo period, Piranesi adopted some of the more painterly techniques of the masters he apprenticed under. Piranesi made the medium of etching appear as though it was a sketch or a painting, hence a “freer” and more fluid design in his later works. For example, the frontispiece of the Prima Parte read as an etching to Piranesi’s audience, but in his later vedute, the style of etching almost appears to be made of brushstrokes. Moreover, at the same time Piranesi was working on the Prima Parte, he aided the artist Giambattista Nolli. There is a small section of Nolli’s map...

Scene II, Le Nozze Degli Dei Etching, 1637 Signed in the plate lower left The scene depicts the initial moment when Diana is revealed, surrounded by her nymphs, celebrating a success...

The etching belongs to the print suite “Antiquities of Herculaneum Exposed” (original title: “Le Antichità di Ercolano Esposte”), an eight-volume volume of engravings of the finds fr...

Letter of the Alphabet S, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Various Authors in the 18th century. Good conditions. The etching belong...

Letter of the Alphabet L, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th centu...

Letter of the Alphabet A, from the series "Antiquities of Herculaneum", is an etching on paper realized by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century. Good conditions. The etching belon...