View of the palace of the illustrious Barberini family on the Quirinal Hill, designed by Cavaliere Bernini, from Vedute di Roma (Roman Views)
ca. 1750–1759
Medium
Etching; first state of five (Hind)
Dimensions
Sheet: 19 1/8 x 27 5/16 in. (48.5 x 69.4 cm) Plate: 15 3/4 x 23 15/16 in. (40 x 60.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1955
Accession Number
55.567.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s etching captures the majestic Palazzo Barberini, perched on Rome’s Quirinal Hill and designed by the celebrated Baroque architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Created between 1750 and 9 as part of the’s renowned series *Vedute di Roma*, the print offers a sweeping view of the palace’s grand façade and surrounding urban landscape. Piranesi, celebrated for his meticulous architectural renderings, transforms the scene into a dramatic celebration of Rome’s enduring grandeur. Etchings like this one played a vital role in 18th-century culture by allowing detailed images of fam...
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...