The Smoking Fire

published 1750/1758

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

The image consists of a complex network of crisscrossing lines and overlapping arches, creating a sense of depth and intricacy. This abstract composition features a labyrinthine arrangement reminiscent of a vast, multi-story architectural interior. The intricate interplay of staircases and arches draws connections to a grandiose building or ancient structure, with its towering forms and shadowy passageways. The winding staircases and bridges evoke the feeling of an endless maze.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, engraving, sulphur tint or open bite, burnishing

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1946.21.391

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Robison 1986, no. 32, State i/vii

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 29.

1922

  • Hind 6.

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

Q65072789

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