The Round Tower

published 1750/1758

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

This is a drawing of a monumental architectural interior. The scene features a labyrinthine space with massive stone structures including arches, staircases, and bridges. Heavy cross-hatching creates a chiaroscuro effect, emphasizing the depth of the architecture. The complex network of stairs intersects at various angles, leading the eye upwards into the cavernous space. Vertical and horizontal lines fill the space. The atmosphere is grandiose and slightly ominous due to the scale and play of light and shadow. The style is reminiscent of Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etchings of architectural fantasies.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, engraving, sulphur tint or open bite, burnishing

  • Credit Line

    Phillips Family Fund

  • Accession Number

    1981.8.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Robison 1986, no. 30, State i/vi


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1983

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., May 1983.

Bibliography

1918

  • Focillon 26.

1922

  • Hind 3.

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

Q74036408

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