Group of 3 Etchings on Laid Papers
Italy, 1751-1776
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) – Italian etcher, architect and archaeologist
‘XLII Veduta interna di una delle tre Sale sepolcrali credute della Famiglia di Augusto’
From Le Antichità Romane II (The Antiquities of Rome, volume 2), 'Veduta del Castello dell’Acqua Paola sul Monte Aureo' (From Vedute di Roma), and 'Palazzo Stoppani'
From Focillon 269, Hind 21, and Hind 128 (State I of III) respectively
Each matted
Smallest Plate Size: 15 x 20 1/4 in. (38.1 x 51.5 cm.)
Second Smallest Plate Size: 15 ½ x 24 in. (39.4 x 60.1 cm.)
Largest Plate Size: 16 3/8 x 26 ½ in. (41.6 x 67.3 cm.)
Smallest Overall Size: 23 x 30 ¾ in. (58.4 x 78.1 cm.)
Second Smallest Overall Size: 23 x 31 ¾ in. (58.4 x 80.6 cm.)
Largest Overall Size: 23 3/8 x 33 ¼ in. (59.4 x 84.5 cm.)
Good Condition

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720-1778)

Known as one of the greatest printmakers of the 18th century, Giovanni Battista Piranesi always considered himself an architect. Born in Venice as the son of a stonemason and master builder, Piranesi studied stage design and perspective construction. In 1740, he traveled to Rome and apprenticed himself to Giuseppe Vasi, the foremost producer of etched views of Rome which often sold to tourists and pilgrims. Piranesi quickly mastered the art of etching and busied himself designing fantastic complexes of buildings that could only exist in dreams. In 1747, the artist began his "Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome)" series for which he is best known. He continued to produce plates for this series until the year of his death in 1778.

Condition

'Le Antichità Romane'- Deckled edges. Surface soiling; scattered foxmarks in margins; center crease backed with wove paper; 2 inch repaired tear lower margin; repaired hole, smaller than a pencil eraser, lower margin. Hinged upper margin verso; time staining verso.

'Veduta Del Castello'- Rippling; vertical crease running down center of sheet; two small repaired holes, smaller than a pencil eraser, in lower left and center margin. Surface dirt upper margin and verso. Hinged upper margins verso; pencil inscriptions verso.

'Palazzo Stoppani'- Trimmed margins, Pale toning 1 inch around image; scattered foxmarks; 2 ½ inch repaired tear extreme lower margin; small repaired pin dot hole repaired upper right margin; 2 inch vertical crease upper center. Hinged upper margin verso.

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