Antique Copper Engraving of Paestum by Francesco Piranesi
Francesco PIRANESI (1758-1810) was the son of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), a famous archeologist, architect, antiquarian, artist and founder of what became an extremely well-known family workshop in Rome. As a family (together with Francesco's sister/ Giovanni Battista's other child, Laura), they ran a spectacular print workshop in Rome that focused on the promotion of the ruins and the classical architecture and design of Antiquity. Their engravings were made for both 18th c. aristocratic visitors who came to Italy to learn about Antiquity as part of "The Grand Tour" as well as for Italians interested in the Antiquity of their heritage. This particular engraving identifies itself in French as “Temple de Neptune à Pesto [Paestum].” The engraving features this immense ancient Temple of Hera II (sometimes also known as the Temple of Neptune) that was built around 450 BCE. Across the entire representation we see the span of 14 massive columns that form one long side of the temple; while looking through them at the rest of the ruin we see what looks like a forest of ancient columns that are overgrown by 19th c. vegetation. A few visitors of the temple are depicted, including a strolling couple and a man smoking a long pipe. This ruin is still visible in a similar state today and is one of the best preserved ancient Greek temples in all of Southern Italy, then known as Greater Greece—or Magna Graecia; today the location is in the Province of Salerno, Campania, just south of Naples.
print is ca. 31" x 21"

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