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)
2 PCS, PIRANESI CLASSICAL URN ENGRAVINGS, FRAMED

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

2 PCS, PIRANESI CLASSICAL URN ENGRAVINGS, FRAMED

Sale Date: January 16, 2022

Auction Closed

Veduta del Ponte e Castello San't Angelo

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Ponte e Castello San't Angelo

Sale Date: December 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio

Sale Date: December 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta interna del Panteon

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta interna del Panteon

Sale Date: December 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo

Sale Date: December 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta interna della Chiesa della Madonna degli...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta interna della Chiesa della Madonna degli...

Sale Date: December 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta del Castello dell'Acqua Paola sul Monte...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Castello dell'Acqua Paola sul Monte...

Sale Date: December 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della Piazza di Monte Cavallo

Sale Date: December 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Prisoners on a projecting platform, from..., 1749

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Prisoners on a projecting platform, from..., 1749

Sale Date: December 16, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dell'Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo

Sale Date: December 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa

Sale Date: December 17, 2021

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: December 9, 2021

Auction Closed

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

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

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

Sale Date: December 9, 2021

Auction Closed

The Smoking Fire, from: Carceri..., 1749–1760

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

The Smoking Fire, from: Carceri..., 1749–1760

Sale Date: December 9, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande, Blatt 49 der...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Porto di Ripa Grande, Blatt 49 der...

Sale Date: November 18, 2021

Auction Closed

Carceri d’Invenzione plate IX: The Giant Wheel

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Carceri d’Invenzione plate IX: The Giant Wheel

Sale Date: December 8, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta della facciata della Basilica di..., 1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della facciata della Basilica di..., 1750

Sale Date: November 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta del Castello dell'Acqua Paola sul..., 1751

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta del Castello dell'Acqua Paola sul..., 1751

Sale Date: November 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Diverse maniere dadornare i cammini ed ogni..., 1769

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Diverse maniere dadornare i cammini ed ogni..., 1769

Sale Date: December 1, 2021

Auction Closed

Vedute di Roma

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Vedute di Roma

Sale Date: December 2, 2021

Auction Closed

Veduta dellEsterno della Gran Basilica di S....

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta dellEsterno della Gran Basilica di S....

Sale Date: December 2, 2021

Auction Closed

Sepolcro di Cecilia Metella

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Sepolcro di Cecilia Metella

Sale Date: December 2, 2021

Auction Closed

Early 'Grand Tour', 1880

After Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Early 'Grand Tour', 1880

Sale Date: November 13, 2021

Auction Closed

Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo in Roma;...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo in Roma;...

Sale Date: December 1, 2021

Auction Closed

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