| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | [Anonymous] |
| Published | Printed for Robt. Sayer, No.53 in Fleet Street. [c. 1800 impression] |
| Dimensions | Image 160 x 263 mm, Sheet 190 x 275 mm |
| Notes |
Text below image: A Perspective View of the Place & Church of St. John of Lateran at Rome. Giovanni Battista (also Giambattista) Piranesi (1720 – 1778) was an Italian artist famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric "prisons" (the Carceri d'Invenzione). He was a major Italian printmaker, architect and antiquarian. The son of a Venetian master builder, he studied architecture and stage design, through which he became familiar with Illusionism. During the 1740's, when Rome was emerging as the centre of Neoclassicism, Piranesi began his lifelong obsession with the city's architecture. He was taught to etch by Giuseppe Vasi and this became the medium for which he was best known. Robert Sayer (1725-1794) was one of the most prolific and successful British publishers, cartographers, and print-sellers of the Georgian era. Following his brother's marriage to the daughter in law of the publisher John Overton, Sayer continued the business, branching out into sea charts, maritime atlases, and general maps. In addition to his cartographic achievements, Sayer was also instrumental in growing the public taste for prints after paintings, particularly those by Johan Zoffany, with whom he developed a lifelong friendship as well as a lucrative business partnership. Following his death, the business was continued by Laurie and Whittle. Condition: Trimmed within plate mark and tipped to album page, tear to top sheet edge, some minor spots of foxing. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £55.00 |
| Stock ID | 48664 |