| Method | Etching |
| Artist | Giovanni Battista Piranesi |
| Published | Piranesi Architetto dis. ed inc. [Rome, Bouchard, c.1753] |
| Dimensions | Image 400 x 255 mm, Plate 450 x 260 mm, Sheet 590 x 400 mm |
| Notes |
An illustration of various architectural fragments, from Piranesi's Trofei di Ottaviano Augusto. The four illustrations on the sheet show a fragment of a marble cornice with a pattern of acanthus sprays and dolphins from the Farnese Gardens, a vegetal soffit with laurel leaves, another cornice with two registers of floral patterns, and another soffit with pine flower patterns. Piranesi's first foray into archaeological survey was the short, but grandiosely titled, volume Trofei di Ottaviano Augusto innalzati per la Vittoria ad Actium e conquista dell'Egitto con vari altri ornamenti diligentemente ricavati dagli avanzi piu preziosi delle fabbriche antiche di Roma, utili a pittori, scultori ed architetti, designati ed incisi da Giambattista Piranesi, Architetto Veneziano. Taking as its inspiration the two antique trophies that had been set up on the terrace of the Campidoglio in 1590, Piranesi argued for an attribution to Augustus in commemoration of the Battle of Actium. The trophies, which had been rediscovered in an excavation of the fountainhead of the Aqua Julia, were colloquially known as the Trophies of Marius. Piranesi's pamplet contained detailed illustrations of the trophies, as well as a pair of general views and a series of plates depicting other architectural fragments that the artist believed would be of interests to other antiquarians, sculptors, architects, and cognoscenti. 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. Wilton-Ely 275, F140, C389b Condition: Strong clean impression. Minor time toning to edges of sheet. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £600.00 |
| Stock ID | 50559 |