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)
Two Plates from Le Vedute di Roma (Spaccato...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Two Plates from Le Vedute di Roma (Spaccato...

Sale Date: July 7, 2022

Auction Closed

VEDUTA DELLA GRAN CURIA INNOCENZIANA

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

VEDUTA DELLA GRAN CURIA INNOCENZIANA

Sale Date: July 4, 2022

Auction Closed

LA TOMBA DI NERONE (dalla serie

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

LA TOMBA DI NERONE (dalla serie "Grotteschi")

Sale Date: July 4, 2022

Auction Closed

The Pier with a Lamp, from: Carceri..., 1749–1760

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Pier with a Lamp, from: Carceri..., 1749–1760

Sale Date: July 5, 2022

Auction Closed

The Staircase with Trophies, from:..., 1749–1760

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Staircase with Trophies, from:..., 1749–1760

Sale Date: July 5, 2022

Auction Closed

a) Arco di Settimio Severo; b) Spaccato interno...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

a) Arco di Settimio Severo; b) Spaccato interno...

Sale Date: July 4, 2022

Auction Closed

Teatro di Marcello

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Teatro di Marcello

Sale Date: July 4, 2022

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a) Piazza della Rotonda; b) Veduta interna del...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

a) Piazza della Rotonda; b) Veduta interna del...

Sale Date: July 4, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Ponte e Castello Sant'Angelo

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte e Castello Sant'Angelo

Sale Date: July 4, 2022

Auction Closed

Carcere oscura' and 'Galleria grande di..., 1743

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Carcere oscura' and 'Galleria grande di..., 1743

Sale Date: June 30, 2022

Auction Closed

Paar Architektur-Radierungennach Giovanni...

After Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Paar Architektur-Radierungennach Giovanni...

Sale Date: June 30, 2022

Auction Closed

WIDOK PLACU ŚW. PIOTRA Z BAZYLIKĄ ŚW. PIOTRA Z...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

WIDOK PLACU ŚW. PIOTRA Z BAZYLIKĄ ŚW. PIOTRA Z...

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

Auction Closed

WIDOK PIAZZA DEL POPOLO Z CYKLU VEDUTE DI ROMA

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

WIDOK PIAZZA DEL POPOLO Z CYKLU VEDUTE DI ROMA

Sale Date: June 21, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dellEsterno della Gran Basilica di S....

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dellEsterno della Gran Basilica di S....

Sale Date: June 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio

Sale Date: June 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta della Dogana di Terra a Piazza di Pietra

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Dogana di Terra a Piazza di Pietra

Sale Date: June 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta della Basilica e Piazza di S. Pietro in...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Basilica e Piazza di S. Pietro in...

Sale Date: June 29, 2022

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Avanzi deglAquedotti Neroniani ..., 1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Avanzi deglAquedotti Neroniani ..., 1775

Sale Date: June 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Ponte Molle sul Tevere ..., 1762

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte Molle sul Tevere ..., 1762

Sale Date: June 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande, 1753

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande, 1753

Sale Date: June 29, 2022

Auction Closed

Three Plates, from Vedute di Roma; Two..., 1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Three Plates, from Vedute di Roma; Two..., 1750

Sale Date: June 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Four Plates, from Vedute di Roma, 1751–1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Four Plates, from Vedute di Roma, 1751–1775

Sale Date: June 14, 2022

Auction Closed

De Romanorum magnificentia et architectura,..., 1765

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

De Romanorum magnificentia et architectura,..., 1765

Sale Date: June 16, 2022

Auction Closed

View of the Port of Ripetta, 1753, 1753

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

View of the Port of Ripetta, 1753, 1753

Sale Date: June 16, 2022

Auction Closed

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