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)
Veduta della Basilica, e Piazza de S. Pietro , 1748

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Basilica, e Piazza de S. Pietro , 1748

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Monumental Tablet., 1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Monumental Tablet., 1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Lion Bas-Reliefs., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Lion Bas-Reliefs., 1749–1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Pier with a Lamp., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Pier with a Lamp., 1749–1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Round Tower., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Round Tower., 1749–1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Carceri d'Invenzione: titolo., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Carceri d'Invenzione: titolo., 1749–1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Isola Tiberina., 1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Isola Tiberina., 1775

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio., 1774

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza del Campidoglio., 1774

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta della Villa Estense in Tivoli., 1773

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Villa Estense in Tivoli., 1773

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta in Prospettiva della gran Fontana..., 1773

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta in Prospettiva della gran Fontana..., 1773

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Arco di Settimio Severo., 1772

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Arco di Settimio Severo., 1772

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

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

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

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

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Ponte e Castello Sant'Angelo., 1754

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte e Castello Sant'Angelo., 1754

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Drawbridge., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Drawbridge., 1749–1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Gothic Arch., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Gothic Arch., 1749–1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Staircase with Trophies., 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Staircase with Trophies., 1749–1750

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Palazzo fabbricato sul Quirinale..., 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Palazzo fabbricato sul Quirinale..., 1749

Sale Date: May 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Ponte

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte

Sale Date: May 3, 2022

Auction Closed

Vindicibus et Protectoribus Bonarum..., 1749–1756

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Vindicibus et Protectoribus Bonarum..., 1749–1756

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

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

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

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

Sale Date: April 28, 2022

Auction Closed

The Man on the Rack, from 'Carceri..., 1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Man on the Rack, from 'Carceri..., 1761

Sale Date: April 27, 2022

Auction Closed

A SET OF FOUR PRINTS OF ROME, COMPRISING; VEDUTA

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

A SET OF FOUR PRINTS OF ROME, COMPRISING; VEDUTA

Sale Date: April 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Remains of the Mausoleum and the Bridge of...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Remains of the Mausoleum and the Bridge of...

Sale Date: April 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Marble urns, 1770

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Marble urns, 1770

Sale Date: April 20, 2022

Auction Closed

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