By contrast, only about 350 years have elapsed between Piranesi’s lifetime and today. The ancient monuments were constructed over a period of 800 years, spanning the Roman Republic (509 to 27 BC) and the Empire (27 BC to 315 AD). Though most of the images fit within the margins of one page, several span the full spread of the book, and still others fold out to long vistas. The second edition, of which this is an example, includes an engraved dedication page to Gustavus III, King of Sweden, a great patron of Piranesi who funded the project. Each of the four tomes is several inches thick, more than a foot wide and nearly two feet tall. The books themselves are as monumental as the ancient towers they depict. Inspired by the recently discovered ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum and his visit to the sites, Piranesi turned his attention to the ruins still visible in Rome, some already almost 2,000 years old. His aim was both to record the vanishing past for scholars and to inspire contemporary designers to emulate the achievements of ancient Rome. It was a popular purchase among wealthy travelers, mainly British men, on their coming-of-age European Grand Tour. When it first appeared in 1756, the work established Piranesi’s reputation as an authority of Roman archaeology and architecture. Giovanni Battista Piranesis print, The Drawbridge, is an imaginative portrayal of a prison that has inspired artists, architects, and writers for over two. A complete set of the 220 engravings in four volumes is a highlight in our May 8 auction of Old Master Through Modern Prints. Overall, Piranesi skillfully crafted an extraordinary piece with The Drawbridge through his use of vivid descriptions derived from classical architecture alongside imaginary elements which leave spectators reflective or awestruck upon viewing it.Giovanni Battista Piranesi spent eight years researching the ancient ruins of Rome before completing his magnum opus, Le Antichità Romane. In addition to raising awareness about prisons’ conditions back then through art, several establishments have incorporated some of Piranesi’s unusual designs into their architectural plans throughout history due to their sheer intricacy. With its drawbridge slightly raised above arching stone steps leading up to it suggests both arrival and depature or possibly no escape at all. The details presented on the print are incredible – from the machinery at the top to the dark arch below – providing historians with insight into what prison life might have been like during that era. It is plate VII in the series and was first printed during the early 1770s before its publication in a second edition third-issue. The print itself measures 54.9 × 40.8 cm (21 5/8 × 16 1/8 in.) and is an etching with engraving on heavy ivory laid paper. The Drawbridge is part of a folio containing 16 prints that portray convoluted prison interiors – I Carceri series – which influenced Piranesi in creating this artwork. We offer the largest online selection of antiques, furnitures, paintings, decorative arts in. He often depicted views in and around Rome by drawing inspiration from classical antiquities and Renaissance as well as Baroque structures. Proantic is a website dedicated to profesionnal antique dealers. Piranesi was an Italian etcher, architect, designer, and theorist best known for his fascinating etching skills. Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s print, The Drawbridge, is an imaginative portrayal of a prison that has inspired artists, architects, and writers for over two and a half centuries.
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