Carceri Series, Plate VIII
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Gertrude W. Lewis
Accession Number
1959-182-7
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a visionary Italian artist and architect (1720–1778), created his iconic *Carceri d'Invenzione* (Imag Prisons) series around 1745, with Plate VIII as one of the most evocative entries. These prints, produced during the Enlightenment era in Venice and Rome, transport viewers into vast, labyrinthine underground dungeons filled with towering arches, endless staircases, and shadowy machinery. Piranesi's etching technique—though the exact medium here remains under study—allowed for intricate details and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, blurring the line between ar...