The Well

published 1750/1758

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

The image shows an intricate arrangement of lines and shapes forming an architectural scene with staircases, columns, and arches. It has a labyrinthine structure with elements resembling ancient ruins and industrial mechanisms. The lines create shadows and depth, while rope-like shapes suggest pulley systems. Statues, urns, and figures are dispersed throughout the scene, evoking classical architecture and activity within this environment.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, engraving, scratching, burnishing, and lavis

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 45.1 x 59.7 cm (17 3/4 x 23 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1946.21.398

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Robison 1986, no. 39, State i/vi

  • Series Title

    Carceri (First Edition, Second Issue)

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

Exhibition History

1950

  • Rosenwald Collection: An Exhibition of Recent Acquisitions, NGA, 1950, no. 93, repro.

Bibliography

1918

  • Focillon 36.

1922

  • Hind 13.

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

Q65072804

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