Ruins of an ancient tomb in front of ruins of an ancient aqueduct (Ruine di Sepolcro antico posto dinanzi ad altre ruine d'un Aquedotto), from "Prima Parte di Architettura, e Prospettive"
ca. 1750
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate (Image): 14 1/2 × 9 5/8 in. (36.9 × 24.4 cm) Plate (Inscription): 13/16 × 9 3/4 in. (2 × 24.8 cm) Sheet: 19 7/16 × 13 3/16 in. (49.4 × 33.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937
Accession Number
37.45.3(10)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the visionary 18th-century Venetian artist and architect, captures the sublime decay of ancient Rome in this etching from his early series *Prima Parte di Architettura, e Prospettive* (ca. 1750). Titled *Ruins of an ancient tomb in front of ruins of an ancient aqueduct*, the print dramatically frames a weathered tomb silhouetted against the towering arches of a crumbling aqueduct. Piranesi's intricate lines evoke the grandeur of imperial Rome, blending precise architectural detail with a sense of romantic melancholy that defined the veduta genre—topographical views ...
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...