The Grand Piazza, plate 4 from Imaginary Prisons
Medium
Etching and engraving on heavy ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 54 × 41 cm (21 5/16 × 16 3/16 in.); Plate: 54.8 × 41.6 cm (21 5/8 × 16 7/16 in.); Sheet: 79 × 58.4 cm (31 1/8 × 23 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
96166
Art Historical Context
Step into the shadowy grandeur of *The Grand Piazza, plate 4 frominary Prisons* (1761), a masterful etching and engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the visionary 18th-century Italian artist and architect. Part of his iconic *Carceri d'Invenzione* (Imaginaryisons) series, this plunges viewers into a colossal, labyrinthine piazza of towering arches, crumbling vaults, and endless staircases defy gravity and logic. Measuring an imposing 54 × 41 cm, it was printed on heavy ivory laid paper, a durable choice that enhanced its intricate details and dramatic scale. Piranesi's virtuoso technique—...
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...