The Lion Bas-Reliefs

published 1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

This is a drawing of a complex architectural scene. The artwork depicts a network of arches and vaults within a structure resembling ancient Roman ruins. There are heavy chains and pulleys woven through the space, alongside statue-like figures and carved reliefs integrated into the architecture. A lion is prominently depicted in the foreground. The composition is densely packed with textures and shadowed lines, emphasizing the monumental scale and intricate details. The linework and interpretation of space invoke a sense of wonder and grandeur.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mark J. Millard, New York; gift to NGA, 1983.

Associated Names

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.

2000

  • Pollak et al. 2000, no. 82

Inscriptions

lower right in plate: Piranesi F.

Wikidata ID

Q74045913

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