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

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi (8,868 results)
Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa

Sale Date: April 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Altra veduta interna della Villa di Mecenate , 1767

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Altra veduta interna della Villa di Mecenate , 1767

Sale Date: April 1, 2022

Auction Closed

Avanzi della Villa di Mecenate a Tivoli

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Avanzi della Villa di Mecenate a Tivoli

Sale Date: April 1, 2022

Auction Closed

Vasi Candelabri Cippi Sarcofagi Tripodi, 1778

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Vasi Candelabri Cippi Sarcofagi Tripodi, 1778

Sale Date: March 26, 2022

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Veduta della Basilica di S.Lorenzo fuor delle mura

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Basilica di S.Lorenzo fuor delle mura

Sale Date: March 31, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dell gran Curia Innocenziana ... che...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell gran Curia Innocenziana ... che...

Sale Date: March 31, 2022

Auction Closed

THE ROUND TOWER, 1749–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

THE ROUND TOWER, 1749–1750

Sale Date: March 25, 2022

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Veduta della Basilica di S.ta Maria Maggiore con

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Basilica di S.ta Maria Maggiore con

Sale Date: March 19, 2022

Auction Closed

The Gothic Arch, from 'Carceri d'Invenzioni, 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Gothic Arch, from 'Carceri d'Invenzioni, 1749

Sale Date: March 9, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta della gran Piazza e Basilica di S...., 1772

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della gran Piazza e Basilica di S...., 1772

Sale Date: April 1, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Isola Tiberina. A Avanzi delle..., 1775

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Isola Tiberina. A Avanzi delle..., 1775

Sale Date: February 19, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Palazzo fabbricato sul Quirinale per...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Palazzo fabbricato sul Quirinale per...

Sale Date: March 1, 2022

Auction Closed

Dimostrazioni dell’Emissario del Lago Albano , 1762

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Dimostrazioni dell’Emissario del Lago Albano , 1762

Sale Date: February 26, 2022

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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

"Veduta degli Avanzi del Foro di Nerva", 1757

Sale Date: February 8, 2022

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EGYPTIAN STYLE CHIMENYPIECES AND WALL...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

EGYPTIAN STYLE CHIMENYPIECES AND WALL...

Sale Date: February 16, 2022

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Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo.

Sale Date: February 11, 2022

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Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo, 1773

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo, 1773

Sale Date: January 25, 2022

Auction Closed

Carceri d’Invenzione, planche VII, Le Pont-levis

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Carceri d’Invenzione, planche VII, Le Pont-levis

Sale Date: February 5, 2022

Auction Closed

Varie Vedute di Roma antica, e moderna......., 1748

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Varie Vedute di Roma antica, e moderna......., 1748

Sale Date: October 15, 2021

Auction Closed

AUTRE VÜE DE L'INTERIEUR DU PRONAOS (WILTON-ELY...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

AUTRE VÜE DE L'INTERIEUR DU PRONAOS (WILTON-ELY...

Sale Date: January 26, 2022

Auction Closed

FRONTISPIZ: CAPRICCIO DI ROVINE CON STATUA DI...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

FRONTISPIZ: CAPRICCIO DI ROVINE CON STATUA DI...

Sale Date: September 9, 2021

Auction Closed

Vedutta della Piazza del Popolo, 1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Vedutta della Piazza del Popolo, 1750

Sale Date: January 25, 2022

Auction Closed

3 PCS, PIRANESI CLASSICAL ENGRAVINGS, GILT FRAMES

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

3 PCS, PIRANESI CLASSICAL ENGRAVINGS, GILT FRAMES

Sale Date: January 16, 2022

Auction Closed

2 PCS, PIRANESI CLASSICAL ENGRAVINGS, GILT FRAMES

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

2 PCS, PIRANESI CLASSICAL ENGRAVINGS, GILT FRAMES

Sale Date: January 16, 2022

Auction Closed

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