Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian graphic artist, who became known for his cityscapes of Rome, engravings and etchings of imaginary dungeons. In the 18th century, Piranesi was the most influential etcher.
He is known for his large-format etchings of cityscapes of Rome and enriched studies of ancient Roman architecture. His Carceri (dungeons) are a novelty in etching because of their original and imaginative elaboration. Piranesi had a considerable influence on neoclassicism.
- image: from the series The ruins of the Castello dell’Acqua Giulia, the last panel is dedicated to the Porta di San Lorenzo. This etching depicts a vivid scene from eighteenth-century daily life right next to the walls of the gate. There are some modest houses and in the foreground we see figures, mainly beggars and poor. On the building to the left of the gate is a reference to the Catholic Church in the form of the IHS monogram and the Christian symbols.
- year: 1806 – 1833
- quality: excellent
- signed: printed in plate
- image size: 24.2 x 36.0 cm | 9.5 x 14.2 in (h x b)
- sheet or frame size: 36.0 x 53.1 cm | 14.2 x 20.9 in (h x b)
