Giovanni Battista Piranesi

(Italian, 1720–1778)

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian draftsman, printmaker, and architect. Famed for his Neoclassical etchings, Piranesi used ancient Greek and Roman ruins as inspiration to create macabre dungeon scenes filled with elaborate contraptions. “I need to produce great ideas,” the artist once stated. “And I believe that if I were commissioned to design a new universe, I would be mad enough to undertake it.” Born on October 4, 1720 in Mogliano Veneto, Italy, he went on to study Latin, ancient Roman culture, architecture, and later etching under Giuseppe Vasi at the Palazzo Venezia. These studies, combined with his subtle use of gravure techniques, granted his etchings believable depth and structural perspective. Piranesi’s depictions of Rome quickly garnered him commissions from members of the clergy and aristocracy, and would influence later generations of artists including the Surrealists. Piranesi died on November 9, 1778 in Rome, Italy. Today, his works are in the collections of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Louvre Museum in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among others.

Related Categories

Drawings and Works on Paper, Old Masters, Prints and Multiples

Related Artists

Etienne Louis Boullee, Canaletto, Francesco Piranesi, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Giuseppe Vasi

Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction

Invenzioni Capric di Carceri (14 works), 1758 - 1760
Sold price: 459,750 USD

Giovanni Battista Piranesi Artworks

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi (8,868 results)
Three large prints of Greek and Roman..., 1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Three large prints of Greek and Roman..., 1761

Sale Date: July 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Three monumental prints of Greek and Roman..., 1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Three monumental prints of Greek and Roman..., 1761

Sale Date: July 13, 2023

Auction Closed

8 etsningar ur

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

8 etsningar ur "Vedute di Roma".

Sale Date: March 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Carceri d'invenzione

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Carceri d'invenzione

Sale Date: June 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Arch of Titus (from the series of Views of Rome)

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Arch of Titus (from the series of Views of Rome)

Sale Date: March 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Roman Forum (from the Opere Varie del Foro...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Roman Forum (from the Opere Varie del Foro...

Sale Date: March 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Temple of Janus (from the series of Views of Rome)

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Temple of Janus (from the series of Views of Rome)

Sale Date: March 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta della Basilica e Piazza di S...., 1748–1800

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Basilica e Piazza di S...., 1748–1800

Sale Date: July 27, 2023

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L'arco con un ornamento di conchiglia (First , 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

L'arco con un ornamento di conchiglia (First , 1749

Sale Date: July 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Hadrian's Villa: The Canopus (Avanzi..., 1768–1800

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Hadrian's Villa: The Canopus (Avanzi..., 1768–1800

Sale Date: July 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta di Piazza di Spagna from Vedute di Roma

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta di Piazza di Spagna from Vedute di Roma

Sale Date: January 26, 2023

Auction Closed

View of the Acqua Giulia Acqueduct from Vedute...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

View of the Acqua Giulia Acqueduct from Vedute...

Sale Date: January 26, 2023

Auction Closed

A Group of 11 Prints, 1765

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

A Group of 11 Prints, 1765

Sale Date: July 19, 2023

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Veduta del Tempio di Cibele a Piazza della..., 1758

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Tempio di Cibele a Piazza della..., 1758

Sale Date: July 4, 2023

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Veduta del Tempio di Antonino e Faustina in..., 1758

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Tempio di Antonino e Faustina in..., 1758

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta della Basilica di Sta Maria Maggiore, 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Basilica di Sta Maria Maggiore, 1749

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Tempj del Sole e della Luna, 1759

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Tempj del Sole e della Luna, 1759

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta del Palazzo dell´Accademia di Francia, 1752

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Palazzo dell´Accademia di Francia, 1752

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta del Campidoglio di Fianco, 1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Campidoglio di Fianco, 1775

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta interna della Villa di Mecenate, 1764

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta interna della Villa di Mecenate, 1764

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Der Pfeiler mit den Ketten

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Der Pfeiler mit den Ketten

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Titelblatt zu den

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Titelblatt zu den "Vedute di Roma", 1748

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Arco di Tito, 1771

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Arco di Tito, 1771

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta del Tempio di Ercole nella Città di..., 1769

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Tempio di Ercole nella Città di..., 1769

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

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