The Tomb of Nero

published 1750/1759

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

The view shows an overgrown ancient ruin surrounded by vegetation. The horizon is unclear, with intricate etching details blurring the boundaries between layers of the landscape. In the distance, there are faint outlines of trees against a cloudy sky. The image features fine etching strokes creating a rich texture, emphasizing carvings on the stonework and surrounding vegetation. The color palette is monochromatic, using shades of black and white. Snakes, foliage, and ruins are intertwined in the foreground, with plant life seemingly cascading over the structure's edges. The composition guides the eye through layers of architecture and nature towards the background.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, engraving, drypoint, scratching

  • Credit Line

    Andrew W. Mellon Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 38.5 x 54 cm (15 3/16 x 21 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1978.49.3

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Robison 1986, no. 23, State ii/vi

  • Series Title

    Grotteschi (Second Edition, First Issue)

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1985

  • Landscape Prints from the National Gallery's Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1985, no cat.

2004

  • The Unfinished Print, The Frick Collection, New York; Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, 2004-2005.

Bibliography

1918

  • Focillon, Henri. Giovanni-Battista Piranesi; essai de catalogue raisonne de son oeuvre. Paris: Librairie Renouard, Henri Laurens, 1918.

1922

  • Hind, Arthur M. Giovanni Battista Piranesi; a critical study with a list of his published works and detailed catalogues of the prisons and the views of Rome. London: Cotswold Gallery; New York: E. Weyhe, 1922.

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.

1993

  • Exploring Rome: Piranesi and His Contemporaries. Exh. cat. Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; Centre Canadien d'Architecture, Montréal. Cambridge, MA and London: p. 88 (fig. 3).

Wikidata ID

Q65568952

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