Two Men Holding Long Staffs (recto); Proof impression of part of an etching, and scribbles in the artist's hand (verso)
1720–78
Medium
Pen and brown ink
Dimensions
6 9/16 x 8 3/8in. (16.6 x 21.3cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Walter C. Baker, 1971
Accession Number
1972.118.269
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the visionary 18th-century Italian artist (1720–1778), captivates us with *Two Men Holding Long Staffs* (recto); *Proof impression of part of an etching, and scribbles in the artist's hand* (verso). Created in pen and brown ink on a modest sheet measuring 6 9/16 x 8 3/8 inches, this drawing from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department reveals Piranesi's masterful draftsmanship. The recto features two sturdy men gripping long staffs, rendered with dynamic energy that hints at his fascination with human figures amid grand architectural visions....
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...