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)

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Autre vue de l'interieur du Pronaos"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Mausoleo d'Elio Adriano"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Castello dell' Acqua Felice"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Sito

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Tempio d'Antonino e Faustina in...

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del sotteraneo Fondamento del Mausoleo

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Monumento eretto dall'Imperador Tito

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Altra Veduta del Tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli"

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Colonna Trajana", 1758

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Palazzo Odescalchi"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta degli avanzi superiori delle Terme di...

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Arco di Settimo Severo"

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Obelisco Egizio"

Sale Date: April 4, 2023

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Altra Veduta del tempio della Siblia in..., 1770

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Altra Veduta del tempio della Siblia in..., 1770

Sale Date: March 25, 2023

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Veduta in Prospettiva della grau Fontana..., 1773

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta in Prospettiva della grau Fontana..., 1773

Sale Date: March 25, 2023

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Villa Panfili fuori di Porta S. Pancrazio..., 1776

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Villa Panfili fuori di Porta S. Pancrazio..., 1776

Sale Date: March 25, 2023

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Vue du autre temple dans la Ville de..., 1778

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Vue du autre temple dans la Ville de..., 1778

Sale Date: March 25, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta interna dell'Atrio del Portico di..., 1760

Sale Date: February 21, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta della Basilica di S. Lorenzo fuor..., 1750

Sale Date: February 21, 2023

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The Staircase with Trophies, from..., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Staircase with Trophies, from..., 1749–1750

Sale Date: March 28, 2023

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1788), 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1788), 1749

Sale Date: March 1, 2023

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Six Plates, from Vasi, Candelabri, Cippi,..., 1778

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Six Plates, from Vasi, Candelabri, Cippi,..., 1778

Sale Date: February 19, 2023

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Teatro di Marcello

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Teatro di Marcello

Sale Date: February 14, 2023

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Altra Veduta del tempio della Sibilla in..., 1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Altra Veduta del tempio della Sibilla in..., 1761

Sale Date: February 24, 2023

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