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)
Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo;..., 1760–1778

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo;..., 1760–1778

Sale Date: February 24, 2023

Auction Closed

RUINS OF THE SO-CALLED AMPHITHEATRE OF DOMITIAN

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

RUINS OF THE SO-CALLED AMPHITHEATRE OF DOMITIAN

Sale Date: February 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'insigne Basilica Vaticana coll'ampio

After Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'insigne Basilica Vaticana coll'ampio

Sale Date: January 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Rovine d'una Galleria di Statue nella Villa...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Rovine d'una Galleria di Statue nella Villa...

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Altra veduta del tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Altra veduta del tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Avanzi degl'Acquedotti Neroniani

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Avanzi degl'Acquedotti Neroniani

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

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Veduta del Tempio detto della Concordia

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Tempio detto della Concordia

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Dieta

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Dieta

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Arco di Tito

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Arco di Tito

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

The Giant Wheel, from Carceri d’Invenzione, 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Giant Wheel, from Carceri d’Invenzione, 1749

Sale Date: January 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta della Basilica de Ste. Maria Maggiotr;...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Basilica de Ste. Maria Maggiotr;...

Sale Date: January 22, 2023

Auction Closed

Veduta del Pantheon; Veduta del Ponte Molle sul...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Pantheon; Veduta del Ponte Molle sul...

Sale Date: January 22, 2023

Auction Closed

Vues de la basilique Saint-Jean de Latran, 1749–1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Vues de la basilique Saint-Jean de Latran, 1749–1775

Sale Date: November 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Carceri, 1749–1760

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Carceri, 1749–1760

Sale Date: November 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Vues de la basilique Saint-Pierre, 1748–1773

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Vues de la basilique Saint-Pierre, 1748–1773

Sale Date: November 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Five separate figure studies (5 works, some...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Five separate figure studies (5 works, some...

Sale Date: January 25, 2023

Auction Closed

A printer seen from behind wearing an apron (+...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

A printer seen from behind wearing an apron (+...

Sale Date: January 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Rovine del Tempio de' Castori nella Citta..., 1763

Sale Date: December 5, 2022

Auction Closed

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Colonna Trajana", 1758

Sale Date: December 5, 2022

Auction Closed

Perspective view of a funerary monument of a...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Perspective view of a funerary monument of a...

Sale Date: September 8, 2020

Auction Closed

THREE WORKS

After Giovanni Battista Piranesi

THREE WORKS

Sale Date: December 15, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del prospetto principale della..., 1774–1779

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del prospetto principale della..., 1774–1779

Sale Date: December 13, 2022

Auction Closed

The Temple Of Antoninus And Faustina, 1758

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Temple Of Antoninus And Faustina, 1758

Sale Date: December 19, 2022

Auction Closed

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