© Rainer Rauhut
Piranesi - Vedute di Roma
Piranesi, Giovanni Battista ( born October 4, 1720 in Mestre/Venice - died November 9, 1778 in Rome). Architect, archeologist, master designer and engraver.
When Piranesi arrived in Rome in the year 1740 he was instantly impressed by the splendor of the antique ruins in the ancient city. For almost a year he was an apprentice in ther studio of Guiseppe Vasi, his later collegue and rival, where he learned the art of engraving copper plates. He began his extremely sucessful career depicting Rome's architectural gems (antique and contemporary) on extra large-scale single sheets: the famous "Vedute di Roma" (Views of Rome). Piranesi was an obsessed artist. Relentlessly he added plates, sometimes variations of former ones, to the collection, until, at the end of his life, there was a total of 135 views showing the majesty and the splendor of the once poweful capital of the Roman empire.
If Piranesi's enterprise seemed adventurous in the beginning, it soon turned out to be very sucessful. The mix of mastership and sense for good business worked, as during the 18th century, traveling became popular among the educated classes of Europe. To see Rome (after having learned so much about its important role in history for the culture of the Western World) was the high point of any traveler's dream. And as they saw the ancient city's treasures, they discovered Piranesi's renderings of them in print. Their sheer size was as impressive as was their artistic value obvious. The tourists therefore liked to buy his prints, picking their favorites or even buying the entire collection. They made artful wall decorations at home and reminded the traveler of his journey. Piranesi printed at least twice the size of his competitors. Without a doubt, he was the formost in his field.
After Piranesi's death, his son Francesco took the plates to Paris and continued publishing his father's work between the years 1800 and 1807. As the "Vedute di Roma" have always been a collector's desire, the prints have become increasingly rare. Their popularity has led to scarcity.
If the prints you are looking for are not in our present listing, please inform us of your wishes.
Aquatint Etchings by J. Maina - Etchings of Ferarra, Florence, Piacenza, Rome, Verona and Venice.
Architectural Prints by D'Aviler - Copper etchings of Roman monuments.
Classical Rome - Copper etchings by Iacobo Lauro Romano
Antique Statue Prints published by Rossi, 1704
Fontane di Roma -Fountains of Rome
Piranesi: Classical views of Rome.
Veduta di Roma - Copper plates by Jacob Friedrich after Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Rossi- Classical Statues in Italian Homes and Gardens
Zocchi: Views of Florence
Prints of Alto Adige - South Tyrol
Vedute di Venezia - Prints of Venice
© Rainer Rauhut