The Grand Piazza

published 1750/1758

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

The image shows a stone archway framing another arch bridge in the distance. The bridge has decorative sculptures along its top edge, and intricate etching with fine, cross-hatched lines. The dark lines of the archway contrast with the lighter lines depicting the bridge and sky. The color palette is monochromatic with various shades of black and white. Figures and details below the bridge add to the depth of the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, engraving, sulphur tint or open bite, burnishing

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1946.21.390

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Robison 1986, no. 31, State i/vi

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

one of set of 13 prints (NGA 1946.21.389-401) purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Philadelphia, from William H. Schab, 4 October 1946 (JYAE; 46.193); gift to NGA, 1946.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1918

  • Focillon 27.

1922

  • Hind 4.

1986

  • Robison, Andrew. Piranesi Early Architectural Fantasies: A Catalogue Raisonne of the Etchings. Washington: National Gallery of Art; Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1986.

Watermarks

Fleur-de-lis (Robison 5)

Wikidata ID

Q65072788

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