The Sawhorse

1780s

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artist, Venetian, 1720 - 1778

This is a drawing of an architectural space filled with arches and staircases. The image depicts a grand and complex interior. The scene features multiple arches and staircases leading in different directions, creating a maze-like atmosphere. Light and shadow add depth to the structure, and detailed textures emphasize the stone materials. The composition conveys a sense of mystery and grandeur, with intricate details capturing attention to the scale and masonry work.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching, engraving, sulphur tint or open bite, scratching [date should be read as "published 1780s"]

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.6997

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Robison 1986, no. 38, State v/vi

  • Series Title

    Carceri (Third Edition ?)

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1934

  • Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, 1934.

1953

  • Masterpieces of Graphic Art from the Rosenwald Collection, Lowe Art Gallery, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 1953, no cat.

1961

  • Piranesi Prints, Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1961.

Bibliography

1918

  • Focillon 35.

1922

  • Hind 12.

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

BRACCIANO (Robison 59)

Wikidata ID

Q65020197

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