Giovanni Piranesi

Palazzo Barberini (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica): A villa on the Sforza estate, under Pope Urban VII the palace was transformed by Carlo Moderno, Francesco Borromini, and Gianlorenzo Bernini. 1st edition, Rome. Hind 25.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was born in Venice in 1720. The son of a stonemason, he was educated as an architect under his uncle Matteo Lucchesi. However, his work in this field was limited to a few restorations such as that of the Church of S.Maria Aventina. In 1740, Piranesi left Venice for Rome to join the suite of the Ambassador to the Papal Court and lodged for a time at the Venetian Embassy. He studied etching under Guiseppi Vasi, who is best known for engraving one of the largest views of Rome. He appears to have had little success during these early years at Rome, and as his father was unable to continue his allowance, he returned to Venice in 1744.

However, soon after, he was encouraged to return to Rome by Guiseppe Wagner, a successful engraver and publisher in Venice. This time Piranesi achieved success and issued from his studio a constant series of works illustrating architecture and antiquities. By 1748, Piranesi had started his ‘Vedute di Roma’ and during the next thirty years, he etched 135 magnificent views of Rome. The prints were sold as single plates or as collections, at first through his publishers Bouchard and Gravier. Up to the early 1760s, Piranesi was constantly altering and perfecting these plates, often adding extra shading to make each scene more dramatic. Therefore, the earlier plates are found in several states, while the later plates, in which he had perfected his technique, were rarely changed. In 1761, Piranesi moved to a new workshop near the Spanish Steps and from then on published his own work.

Piranesi’s position in Rome and in Europe after 1760 was a prominent one. He was a well-known figure to the wealthy English visitors in Rome and in 1757 was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He was knighted by the Pope in 1765 and regularly signed his plates Cavalier Piranesi sc. from this date onwards. Sets of his works were among the regular purchases of the travelling noblemen and connoisseurs making the ‘Grand Tour’ and the frequent gift of the Pope to distinguished guests.

Piranesi had two sons, Francesco and Pietro, and a daughter Laura, all of whom helped him in his work and after his death carried on his publications. Francesco added 2 final plates to the 135 made by his father and the family continued to sell the plates in Rome until 1799 when they moved to Paris. The first Paris edition was sold from 1800 to 1807. Francesco died in 1810 and the plates were acquired by the Parisian firm of Firmin-Didot who issued prints from 1835 to 1839 after which they were bought by what became the Regia Calcografia in Rome, which issued sets from 1870 onwards.