See Other Available Works by Piranesi

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was one of the leading figures in the development of the neoclassical style in the 18th century.  His Vedute di Roma depicted the great buildings of Rome, from ancient times and the Renaissance to the mid 18th century, when many were in ruins.  Their lasting popularity is due not only to the picturesque subject matter but Piranesi’s consummate artistry, command of perspective, subtle tonality, and imaginative flair.  The Vedute are the largest and best known series of the prints Piranesi produced, comprising 135 plates by him and two by his son Francesco Piranesi (Hind, 5). 

Piranesi scholar John Wilton-Ely describes the Vedute as follows:

Determining the date of printing of etchings from the Vedute is complicated for many reasons.  They were published in sets as well separately issued, various states of the prints were published in the 18th century, and the various other states and posthumous editions were printed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.  Historian and print expert Arthur M. Hind wrote the definitive reference book on Piranesi’s views in 1922, Giovanni Battista Piranesi: A Critical Study, in which he painstakingly distinguished various states and editions, primarily in the 18th century.

The 19th century printing of the views is also complex.  In 1807, the copper plates used to make the prints were sold to Firmin-Didot Frères, a Paris firm which issued them, mostly in the 1830s.  Agents for the Vatican purchased the plates for the Camera Apostolica in 1839.  Hence, some of the 19th century strikes of the prints are popularly referred to as the “Pope’s edition.”  The plates were then transferred to the Calcografia Camerale, a venerable Roman printing press.  This firm was renamed the Regia Calcografia in 1870 and operated under that name until 1945 when it became the Calcografia Nationale.  Impressions were published from the Vedute plates under the imprint of Calcografia Camerale prior to 1870 and under the imprint of Regia Calcografia thereafter.  The latter have an embossed blind stamp with “Regia Calcografia” and central emblem of a crown surmounted by a cross.  Our offered prints are from the Regia Calcografia editions.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was a multi-talented and accomplished man of the enlightenment who combined supreme artistic ability and historical scholarship with an entrepreneurial business sense.  He was at once an artist, architect, archeologist, designer, collector, and print and antiquities dealer.  Many consider him one of the most influential artists in the development and popularization of the neoclassical style of the late 18th century.  According to scholar John Wilton-Ely, the distinguishing characteristics of Piranesi’s early works were “the unorthodox combination of classical motifs, the manipulation of superhuman scale, the organization of powerfully receding perspectives upon diagonal axes, and the modulation of space by means of skilful lighting.”  Piranesi’s work was recognized with his election as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in England in 1757.  He was knighted by the Pope in 1765.  Although Piranesi composed and etched many of his works, his son Francesco (1758-1810) and studio assistants such as Vincenzo Dolcibene also etched a significant number of the prints, especially in later years.

Piranesi etched and published numerous folio print sets of art, architecture and archaeology of Rome and environs, that served as source material for other architects and designers.  They were sold as souvenirs to English aristocrats on the Grand Tour in Italy or by subscription directly to British patrons.  Among those influenced by Piranesi was the great British architect Robert Adam (1728-92), who was a colleague of Piranesi while in Rome on the Grand Tour in the 1750s.  From the 1760s onward, Piranesi supplemented his printing business by joining the thriving trade in the restoration and sale antiquities to Grand Tour travelers.  Piranesi's interest in these objects went well beyond historical restoration and marketing -- he also advocated emulating the creativity of the Roman designers and integrating motifs from Greek and Roman antiquities with a contemporary sensibility to produce new and strikingly original works. The British were particularly good customers, so he set up his workshop and showrooms close to the British quarter of Rome.  After Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s death in 1778, Francesco and another son, Pietro, continued to republish Piranesi prints and sell antiquities.

Condition:  Rich impressions with wide margins. Generally very good with the usual minor light toning and soiling.  Binding holes in far margin.  Some minor tears and creases to outer margins can be easily matted out since margins are very large.

References:

“Giovanni Giacomo De’ Rossi.”  Romamor.  http://www.romamor.it/en/ancient/derossi.htm (13 May 2005).

Hind, Arthur M.  Giovanni Battista Piranesi: A Critical Study.  London: Holland Press, 1922 (1978 ed.).

Wilton-Ely, John.  Giovanni Battista Piranesi: The Complete Etchings. San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 1994. 2 volumes.