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 &
Auction Results

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (8,868 results)
The Smoking Fire, 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Smoking Fire, 1749

Sale Date: November 18, 2022

Auction Closed

The Arch with a Shell Ornament, 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Arch with a Shell Ornament, 1749

Sale Date: November 18, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli, 1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli, 1761

Sale Date: November 18, 2022

Auction Closed

Invenzioni Capric Di Carceri (Title sheet..., 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Invenzioni Capric Di Carceri (Title sheet..., 1749

Sale Date: November 18, 2022

Auction Closed

The columns of Hera Temple in Paestum, 1778

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The columns of Hera Temple in Paestum, 1778

Sale Date: November 2, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo., 1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo., 1750

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Group of 4 etchings from Vedute di Roma., 1762

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Group of 4 etchings from Vedute di Roma., 1762

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Ponte e Castello Sant'Angelo., 1754

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte e Castello Sant'Angelo., 1754

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa., 1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa., 1761

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio, detto il..., 1757

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio, detto il..., 1757

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Romano Campidoglio con Scalinata..., 1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Romano Campidoglio con Scalinata..., 1775

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta in Prospettiva della gran Fontana..., 1773

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta in Prospettiva della gran Fontana..., 1773

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'insigne Basilica Vaticana..., 1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'insigne Basilica Vaticana..., 1775

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Mausoleo d'Elio Adriano (ora..., 1754

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Mausoleo d'Elio Adriano (ora..., 1754

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

The Smoking Fire., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Smoking Fire., 1749–1750

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Prisoners on a Projecting Platform., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Prisoners on a Projecting Platform., 1749–1750

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

The Well., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Well., 1749–1750

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

The Man on the Rack., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Man on the Rack., 1749–1750

Sale Date: November 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Il Campo Marzio dell'Antica Roma

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Il Campo Marzio dell'Antica Roma

Sale Date: October 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Four etchings and engravings, the first three...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Four etchings and engravings, the first three...

Sale Date: October 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1788), 1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1788), 1750

Sale Date: October 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Trois Pendules, dont une en Forme de Buste..., 1769

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Trois Pendules, dont une en Forme de Buste..., 1769

Sale Date: October 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Cheminée à l

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Cheminée à l"Egyptienne, 1769

Sale Date: October 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Cheminée à l

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Cheminée à l"Egyptienne, 1769

Sale Date: October 22, 2022

Auction Closed

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