Basilica van Maxentius te Rome
1748 - 1778
Medium
etching
Dimensions
555; 419
About this artwork
height 419 mm x width 555 mm
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etching *Basilica van Maxent te Rome* (1748–1778) captures the majestic ruins of the Basilica of Maxentius—also known as the Basilica Constantine—in Rome's ancient Forum. Measuring 419 mm high by 555 mm wide, this monumental print is part of Piranesi's renowned *Vedute di Roma*, which immortalized the Eternal City's architectural wonders during the 18th-century Grand Tour era. Piranesi, a Venetian-born artist and architect, mastered the Vedutismo style, blending precise topography with dramatic imagination to evoke Rome's imperial glory amid decay. Constructed aro...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Piranesi · 1720–1778
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) was an Italian printmaker, architect, and antiquarian whose visionary etchings of Rome and imaginary prisons revolutionized architectural representation and profoundly influenced both Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Piranesi stands as one of the most important printmakers of the eighteenth century, fundamentally shaping European perceptions of ancient Rome an...