Francesco Piranesi Prints and Multiples

18th century grand tour collection of Francesco Piranesi engravings of Roman classical sculpture. Raccolta di Statue Antiche. Rome, Italy. Dates range from 1780-1792. 39 Copperplate Engravings bound in an Elephant Folio on laid paper, including 4 double page engravings. This portfolio of copperplate engravings was published towards the end of the 18th century. Together with his father Giovanni Piranesi (1720 -1778), he contributed significantly to the influence of the Neo-Classical style throughout the art and architecture of the late 18th and early 19th century. Sheet size: H: 24 3/4 x W: 18 in. Double sheet size: H: 24 9/16 x W: 34 1/4 in. Francesco Piranesi (Italian, 1756-1810) was born in Rome, the eldest son of Giovanni Battista Piranesi and his wife, Angela Pasquini. He was instructed in engraving by his father, together with his older sister Laura (1754–1789), also a noted engraver by the time of her early death. He was both engraving his own works of art and assisting his father's work by 1775. He then started to study with other experts: engraving with Giovanni Volpato, landscape painting under the German Jacob Philipp Hackert and his brother Georg and architecture under Pierre-Adrien Pâris. Piranesi accompanied his father on two trips to the ancient Roman ruins in Paestum, Pompei and Ercolano, first in 1770, and again in 1778. In this he was part of a group of engravers which collaborated with Benedetto Mori and the architect Augusto Rosa, considered the inventor of felloplastica, the art of constructing scale models of ancient monuments in cork. Giovanni Battista created a series of preparatory drawings about Paestum, which were completed by Francesco. Upon his father's death, shortly after the second trip, Francesco acquired his father's publishing house and was responsible for printing most of the later editions of his prints. Piranesi collaborated with the French artist Louis Jean Desprez...

Created after Louis-Jean Desprez. A very good, well-inked impression of this etching, featuring a view of a late 18th century fireworks display from the C...

Large original engraving by Francesco Piranesi (Italian, 1756-1810). "Laocoonte" from "Raccolta di Statue Antiche." Rome, 1780-1792. Copper engraving on laid paper. Unframed. Frances...

Large original engraving by Francesco Piranesi (Italian, 1756-1810). "Castore e Polluce" from "Raccolta di Statue Antiche." Rome, 1780-1792. Copper engraving on laid paper. Unframed. Francesco Piranesi was an Italian engraver, etcher and architect. He was the son of Giovanni Battista Piranesi and continued his series of engravings...

Large original engraving by Francesco Piranesi (Italian, 1756-1810) from "Raccolta di Statue Antiche." Rome, 1780-1792. "Gruppo antico di Figure d. volgarme. il Toro Farnese". Copper...

Original engraving by Francesco Piranesi from "Raccolta di Statue Antiche." Rome, 1780-1792.

From: Differentes vues de quelques Restes de trois grands Edifices qui subsistent encore dans le milieu de l'ancienne Ville de Pesto autrement Posidonia qui situee dans la Lucanie (20 plates, 18 etched by Giovanni, 2 etched by his son Francesco) An early Paris printing (c. 1800) on a laid paper without watermark. These Paris printings show greater detail in the dense etched areas of the plate, resulting in finer impressions than is common of the post mortem Roman printings. In the 1836 edition, there was an addition of Arabic numerals to each plate in the series. This series was in the process of completion at the death of Giovanni Batista...