View of the Piazza Navona above the Ruins of the Circo Agonale

This extraordinary large folio etching is from Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s Vedute di Roma. The work was printed in Rome between 1760-1790s.

The etchings are on laid paper. We were able to note two watermarks present in the work. One wasthe characteristic fleur-de-lis in a circle, commonly used for his published etchings in 1760s. The second was the lettering Bracciano.

Piranesi noted, “When I saw in Rome how most of the remains of ancient buildings lay scattered through gardens and ploughed fields where they dwindled day by day … I resolved to preserve them by means of engravings. I have therefore drawn these ruins with all possible exquisiteness.”

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) is known as one of the most famous architectural artists of all times. Born in Venice and later settled in Rome, the young Piranesi first aspired to be an architect. After having little luck in his studied field, he turned instead to the art of architecture. His work masterfully used light and space to create depth and detail in his exceptional work. “No other author [artist] before or since was capable of visions of grandeur that could so excite and inspire the enthusiast.” (Scott, Piranesi, 1975, p.127)