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

Artworks for Sale &
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Giovanni Battista Piranesi (8,868 results)
Group of 3 etchings:

After Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Group of 3 etchings: "Scenographia Campi Martii,

Sale Date: April 16, 2023

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Veduta di Piazza di Spagna

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta di Piazza di Spagna

Sale Date: April 20, 2023

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Veduta del Palazzo Farnese, 1773

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Palazzo Farnese, 1773

Sale Date: March 31, 2023

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Veduta degli avanzi superiori delle Terme..., 1774

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta degli avanzi superiori delle Terme..., 1774

Sale Date: March 31, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Tempio di Cibele a Piazza della...

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Der Pfeiler mit den Ketten

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Der Pfeiler mit den Ketten

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Grotteschi: Das Grab Neros, 1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Grotteschi: Das Grab Neros, 1750

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta dell'Atrio del Portico di Ottavia"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta delle antiche Sostruzioni fatte da...

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta delle due Chiese

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta della Basilica

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta della vasta Fontana di Trevi"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta di Piazza Navona sopra le rovine del...

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta interna del Tempio della Tosse"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta interna della Chiesa della Madonna degli

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta della Basilica di Sta. Maria Maggiore...

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Phantastisches Architektur-Capriccio

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Phantastisches Architektur-Capriccio

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta di Piazza di Spagna"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Sepolcro di Cajo Cestio"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa oggi Chiesa di S.

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta degl'avanzi del sepolcro della famiglia...

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Campidoglio di Fianco"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Romano Campidoglio con Scalinata che

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Colonna Antonina", 1758

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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