← Giovanni Battista Piranesi Giovanni Battista Piranesi — Avanzi del Tempio detto di Apollo nella Villa Adriana vicino a Tivoli (Hadrian's Villa. Remains of the Smaller Palace [Formerly called the Temple of Apollo])

Giovanni Battista Piranesi — Avanzi del Tempio detto di Apollo nella Villa Adriana vicino a Tivoli (Hadrian's Villa. Remains of the Smaller Palace [Formerly called the Temple of Apollo])

Avanzi del Tempio detto di Apollo nella Villa Adriana vicino a Tivoli (Hadrian's Villa. Remains of the Smaller Palace [Formerly called the Temple of Apollo])

Original title: Avanzi del Tempio detto di Apollo nella Villa Adriana vicino a Tivoli (Hadrian's Villa. Remains of the Smaller Palace [Formerly called the Temple of Apollo])

Artist: Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Date: ca. 1768
Medium: Etching
Dimensions: sheet: 18 5/8 x 24 3/8 in. (47.3 x 61.9 cm)
Credit line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960

kurzbeschreibung

This etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, made around 1768, shows the remains of a round building at Hadrian's Villa near Tivoli. It belongs to a series of vedute that the artist produced after views of ancient sites. In the foreground, small figures enliven the image and make the scale of the architecture clear.

Description

The layout is arranged symmetrically around the central ruined building, which is surrounded by trees and shrubs that grow into the structure. On the facade, some columns and arches are partly destroyed. Several people in the foreground go about different activities. A cloudy sky in the background bathes the view in subdued light. This monochrome print follows the conventions of 18th-century architectural painting.

Context

Piranesi published the etching as part of his studies of Roman antiquity, which he presented in several publications. Hadrian's Villa near Tivoli was an extensive palace complex built by the emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. Piranesi stayed in Rome several times and documented ancient buildings systematically. The name 'Temple of Apollo' comes from older descriptions and is no longer considered certain today.

Impact

A melancholy ruin atmosphere pervades the print, created by the subdued light and the overgrown vegetation. The small figures emphasize the monumental scale of the architecture and encourage the viewer to explore the scene. The symmetrical arrangement gives the view a calm, balanced effect.

Technique

Etching is an intaglio process in which the drawing is scratched into a wax layer on a copper plate and then etched. Piranesi used fine lines and hatching to create effects of light and shadow. The print measures 47.3 x 61.9 cm.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)