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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

The Giant Wheel

published 1749/1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

The image portrays intersecting lines and geometric shapes, with arch-like curves intersecting at various angles. The composition resembles a massive architectural structure like a scaffold or unfinished monument. Jagged blocks are piled at the base, resembling a giant pedestal. Figures are scattered on top of the blocks. Detailed shading and cross-hatching add depth to the portrayal.

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Artwork overview

Medium

etching, engraving
Credit Line

W.G. Russell Allen, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Lessing J. Rosenwald, and Pepita Milmore Funds
Accession Number

1976.35.7
Catalogue Raisonné

Robison 1986, no. 35, State ii/viii

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1918

Focillon 32.

1922

Hind 9.

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

Q65568929

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