Le Antichità Romane
c. 1756 - c. 1757
Medium
etching
Dimensions
525; 398
About this artwork
collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Art Historical Context
**Le Antichità Romane** *Giovanni Battista Piranesi, c. 1756–1757, etching, 398 × 525 mm* Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the visionary 18th-century Italian and architect, captured the grandeur of ancient Rome in his masterful etching series *Le Antich Romane* ("The Antiquities of Rome Created around 1756–7, this work exemplifies Piranesi's obsession with Roman ruins, blending meticulous archaeological documentation with dramatic imagination. As a leading figure in the veduta tradition—topographical views elevated to poetic heights—Piranesi transformed crumbling monuments into timeless symbols ...
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...