Roman Vedute I
£1,400
SOLD
A set of four late-19th century prints of Roman views after the originals by Piranesi
Set in ebonised frames
Price per individual framed print – £350
(Part of a collection comprising 16 framed views)
Giovanni Battista Piranesi was born in Mogliano Veneto, near Treviso, which at the time was in the Republic of Venice. Inspired by his brother Andrea he studied Latin and Ancient Civilisation. He later trained as an architect under his uncle, Matteo Lucchesi, an excavation engineer.
From 1740 Piranesi was based in Rome with Marco Foscarini, the Venetian envoy to the Vatican. He resided in the Palazzo Venezia studying under Giuseppe Vasi, who introduced him to the art of etching and engraving. He collaborated with pupils of the French Academy in Rome to produce a series of vedute (views) of the city.
This proximity to Ancient Rome enabled Piranesi to understand and accurately imitate the remains with a remarkable understanding of the fabric of the extant structures. This exposure also inspired him to create fantastical architectural scenes such as his Carceri series (Prisons), published in 1750.
Piranesi’s plates were collected and preserved by his son, Francesco and 29 folio volumes comprising some 2,000 prints appeared in Paris between 1835 and 1837.
Just as the late Baroque works of Claude Lorrain and Salvatore Rosa had featured romantic depictions of Classical ruins, Piranesi’s reproductions of real and recreated Roman remains were a strong influence on the whole Neoclassical movement.
