Piranesi not only flatters Clement but also declares victory over the French and English antiquarians who claimed that Roman culture was merely derivative of Greek achievements.

He copied the winged figure of Nike, goddess of victory, from the Column of Trajan and depicted her inscribing the coat of arms of his patron, Pope Clement XIV.Īn aggressive display, these pages are packed with symbols of military triumph. The Latin and Italian pages shown here introduce Piranesi's greatest polemical publication on ancient Rome, On the Magnificence and Architecture of Rome. See a close-up of the images of military triumph at the bottom of the Italian title page. See a close-up of Nike inscribing the coat of arms of Pope Clement XIV. The image's visual drama is heightened by a frenetic network of sketchy, interweaving lines. In this etching, a massive pillar seems to pulse with the energy of the arches that spring to an unknown destination. With his suite of etchings depicting imaginary prisons, the Carceri ( Prisons), Piranesi fashioned a world of pillars and arches that twist and turn with muscular energy. Presenting a decorative assemblage of Roman objects, the title page shown here introduces Piranesi's lavishly illustrated two-volume catalog of antiquities, some of which were sold in his studio. Piranesi's aesthetic of monumentality is evident in his grand views of Rome and in his fantastic compositions of ancient artifacts. See a key to the objects depicted in this etching. Title Page for a Catalogue of Antiquities, 1778 Piranesi's magnificent vision of the monument includes the original bronze statue of Trajan, which had been replaced with a figure of Saint Peter in 1587. The print shows the shaft's spiral narrative frieze, which depicts Roman emperor Trajan's battles against the Dacians of southeastern Europe. Piranesi used six copper plates to produce a spectacular, nearly nine-foot-high etching of the Column of Trajan, one of Rome's most recognizable monuments.

Piranesi's images were often so magnificent that tourists who had seen them before they visited Rome were sometimes left disappointed by the actual city.įeaturing examples of Piranesi's books and prints in the special collections of the Research Library at the Getty Research Institute, this exhibition presents an overview of his extraordinary range of activities: from penning polemics and recording archaeological data to sketching dramatic views, imagining prisons, and creating stylish advertisements for his wares. He published more than a thousand etchings depicting the 18th-century city and ancient Roman monuments. See a close-up of the top portion of the frieze on the column's shaft.Īrchitect, archaeologist, polemicist, and printmaker Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720–1778) was a lifelong champion of Rome. See a close-up of the statue of Trajan atop the column. View of the Principal Prospect of the Column of Trajan (detail), 1774

Piranesi rome prize