PIRANESI PLATES SERIES

They also specifically concentrate on a monument, like the “Veduta del Ponte Salario,” or ruin instead of portraying a sweeping view of Roman landscape. His later views featured heavier line, a sublime eye, and more dramatic perspectives. As represented in the “Veduta della Piazza della Rotonda,” Piranesi, clearly contorting perspective, etched an exaggerated and extended view of the Rotonda, unfocused on a specific aspect of the scene. The little figures present at the ground level are the everyday people and visitors in contemporary Rome. In his first views, the monument or subject was drawn from a distance so that it was clearly set in its context. The first thirty-four views were published in a single volume and entitled Le Magnificenze di Roma. His early sites include obvious popular sights, such as Piazza della Rotonda and the Sepolcro di Cecilia Metella. 39 The views were intended as tourist souvenirs and, from their instant popularity, Piranesi had obviously judged the market well.

This influenced European thought to such an extent that Grand Tourists, who had come to know Rome through Piranesi’s prints, were recorded as being disappointed on their first encounter with the real thing. Piranesi’s Vedute, which overshadowed competitor’s views of Roman landmarks through compelling compositions, strong lighting contrasts, and dramatic presentation, shaped European conceptions of present day Rome.

PIRANESI PLATES SERIES

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Veduta del Ponte Salario (View of the Ponte Salario), plate 55 from the series 'Vedute di Roma' (Views of Rome), 1754, etching (Davis Museum)īy 1747, Piranesi had begun work on the Vedute di Roma, and he continued to create plates for this series until he died in 1778.

Piranesi plates