Rome, 1765. In 2nd large (60x44 cm). Exemplary with beautiful inking and untrimmed margins, c on 38 plates of which 8 double and 4 double folded, frontispieces in Latin and Italian on the front, engraved by & nbsp ; Piranesi, chalcographic portrait of Pope Clement XIII designed by Piranesi and by the same engraved together with Domenico Cunego. Linked with the Observations on Monsieur Mariette's letter (1765), 10cc, Opinion on Architecture , 8cc, On the introduction and progress of fine arts in Europe in ancient times , 8 folios. with 6 double plates, 3 engraved plates, restored tear at plate IV, contemporary hardcover binding.

** "Of the Magnificence and Architecture of the Romans" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi was a contribution to the ongoing debate on the superiority of Greek art and architecture to that of Rome. In 1750, intellectual circles were increasingly in favor of Greek art. Piranesi had completed 'Le Antichità Romane' in 1756-1757, and when Julien-David LeRoy published 'Les ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grece' in 1758, Piranesi replied with his Della Magnificenza. In his publication Piranesi magnifies Roman architectural ornament, making comparisons with specific examples of Le Roy's text. This is why many of the tables in this volume contain visual and textual references to this author. Also in this volume is Piranesi's answer to the French critic Pierre-Jean Mariette (1694-1774). On November 4, 1764 Mariette published a letter in the Gazette Littéraire de l'Europe, in which he opposes the ideas expressed in Della Magnificenza. Mariette believed that Roman art had unequivocal Greek origins. Piranesi's response to his views was published in 1765, in which, writing in the third person, he defends the artistic originality of the Romans. The 'Opinion on Architecture' is one of his most important theoretical texts