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)
2 Works on Paper

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

2 Works on Paper

Sale Date: August 18, 2022

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Campidoglio di Fianco"

Sale Date: August 9, 2022

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta della Basilica di S. Lorenzo fuor delle...

Sale Date: August 9, 2022

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta del Sepolcro di Cajo Cestio", 1755

Sale Date: August 9, 2022

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Rovine delle Terme Antoniane"

Sale Date: August 9, 2022

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta interna dell'Atrio del Portico di Ottavia"

Sale Date: August 9, 2022

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Remains of the Temple of Apollo in the Villa...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Remains of the Temple of Apollo in the Villa...

Sale Date: August 18, 2022

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Obelisco Egizio

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Obelisco Egizio

Sale Date: July 26, 2022

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The Smoking Fire (Plate VI from Carceri d...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Smoking Fire (Plate VI from Carceri d...

Sale Date: July 17, 2022

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Veduta del Sepolcro di Cajo Cestio, 1755

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Sepolcro di Cajo Cestio, 1755

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta del Palazzo Odescalchi, 1753

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Palazzo Odescalchi, 1753

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta del Ponte Salario, 1754

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte Salario, 1754

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta della gran Curia Innocenziana, 1752

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della gran Curia Innocenziana, 1752

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta delle Terme di Tito, 1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta delle Terme di Tito, 1775

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio, 1774

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio, 1774

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta degli avanzi superiori delle Terme di , 1774

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta degli avanzi superiori delle Terme di , 1774

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Das Treppenhaus mit Trophäen, Blatt VIII aus , 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Das Treppenhaus mit Trophäen, Blatt VIII aus , 1749

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta degli Avanzi delle Fabbriche del..., 1776

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta degli Avanzi delle Fabbriche del..., 1776

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta del Ponte Lugano su l'Anione nella..., 1763

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte Lugano su l'Anione nella..., 1763

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta del Palazzo dell' Accademia istituita , 1752

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Palazzo dell' Accademia istituita , 1752

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta della Villa Estense in Tivoli

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Villa Estense in Tivoli

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Veduta della Facciata di dietro della..., 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Facciata di dietro della..., 1749

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

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Prisoners on a projecting platform, from Carceri

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Prisoners on a projecting platform, from Carceri

Sale Date: July 14, 2022

Auction Closed

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