Veduta degli avanzi del Castro Pretorio nella Villa Adriana a Tivoli (View of the Remains of the Praetorian Fort [the Poecile], Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli)
![Veduta degli avanzi del Castro Pretorio nella Villa Adriana a Tivoli (View of the Remains of the Praetorian Fort [the Poecile], Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/dp/thumb/veduta-degli-avanzi-del-castro-pretorio-nella-366154.webp)
Medium
Etching
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edward W. Root, Elihu Root Jr. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant III, 1937
Accession Number
37.17.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the grand tradition of 18th-centuryute—detailed panoramic views of architectural landmarks—Giovanni Battista Piranesi's *Veduta degli avanzi del Pretorio nella Villa Adriana Tivoli* (1770) captures the majestic ruins of the Poecile, or Praetorian Fort, at Emperor Hadrian's sprawling villa complex in Tivoli, just outside Rome. Built around 120-130 CE as a luxurious retreat mimicking famous sites from across the empire, Hadrian's Villa was a to imperial ambition, blending Greek, Egyptian, and Roman influences. Piranesi, a master etcher and fervent admirer of antiquity, immortalizes its weathe...
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...