Egyptian decoration of the Caffè degli Inglesi: Animals on the cornice, including a bull at the center, from "Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini..."
Original title: Egyptian decoration of the Caffè degli Inglesi: Animals on the cornice, including a bull at the center, from "Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini..." (Diverse Ways of ornamenting chimneypieces...)
kurzbeschreibung
A winged bull anchors a frieze of Egyptianizing ornament that Giovanni Battista Piranesi etched in 1769 for a chimney breast. Other animals, Egyptian signs and pharaonic figures gather around it. The sheet belongs to the series 'Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini...' and shows how Piranesi engaged with the art of Egypt.
Description
Across the width of a cornice runs a line of animals and insects recalling the creatures of Egyptian myth, with the winged bull enthroned at their center. Below, statues of pharaonic rulers and deities step down in tiers, while the lower zone accommodates sphinxes and further fabulous beings. Gray tones dominate the monochrome image, which is built from fine strokes and dense hatching. Light falls evenly, with no harsh contrasts.
Context
Created in 1769 as part of his series 'Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini...', the etching is devoted to the decoration of fireplaces. Piranesi also used such Egyptianizing motifs in designing the interior of the Caffè degli Inglesi in Rome, a meeting place for artists and travelers. In those years interest in Egyptian art was growing across Europe, often mediated through Roman reinterpretations. Archaeological knowledge and free invention merge in Piranesi's designs.
Impact
Symmetry and tightly packed ornament give the sheet a calm, balanced mood. By mixing genuine Egyptian elements with invented combinations, an exotic atmosphere arises that nevertheless remains ordered. The precise linework lends the print an elegance that invites close looking.
Technique
For the etching, the drawing was scratched into a wax-coated copper plate and the metal then bitten with acid. Fine lines and hatching produce graduated gray tones and a precise rendering of details. The print is landscape format on larger paper; the plate measures about 23.7 x 32 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)