| Method | Copper engraving with original hand colouring |
| Artist | Thomas Bowles III after Giovanni Battista Piranesi |
| Published | Publish'd according to Act of Parliament, November 2nd. London Printed for Robt. Sayer Map & Printseller oppisite Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, & I.G. Printsller in Sty. Anns Court, Dean Street, Soho. |
| Dimensions | Image 253 x 415 mm, Plate 275 x 435 mm, Sheet 293 x 445 mm |
| Notes |
A view of the Basilica of St John Lateran with fine original colour. The title inscribed in English and French with the number 6 in the upper right of the plate. From a series of views of Rome by Thomas Bowles. Although Bowles ascribes that this image is after Piranesi the, Bowles' differs print in many ways. Thomas Bowles III (c.1712-1767) British printmaker and engraver based in London at the shop in St. Paul's Church Yard and son of Thomas Bowels II. 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: Laid to an early 19th century light card album page, some marks and surface dirt in the margins not affecting the image. |
| Framing | mounted |
| Price | £150.00 |
| Stock ID | 49469 |