View of the Palazzo Odeschali, from Vedute di Roma (Roman Views)
Original title: View of the Palazzo Odeschali, from Vedute di Roma (Roman Views)
kurzbeschreibung
Giovanni Battista Piranesi dedicated this etching to the Palazzo Odescalchi in Rome, made around 1753 as part of his series Vedute di Roma. The Roman aristocratic palace appears here as a veduta-like subject, executed in etching.
Description
The symmetrical Palazzo Odescalchi dominates the foreground, accented by columns, pilasters and balustrades. To the right rises another building with a tower and dome. Behind, additional structures step back beneath a cloudy sky. People and horses populate the street before the palace, bringing the city's bustle to life. The layout is clearly structured and directs the eye to the architecture.
Context
The Vedute di Roma were created as a series of views of Roman buildings and appeared from the 1740s onward. Around 1753 Piranesi worked intensively on Roman architecture and its effect on the viewer. The Palazzo Odescalchi, designed by Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was among Rome's significant aristocratic residences. With the series, the artist aimed to bring ancient and modern Rome closer to a European audience.
Impact
A monumental yet lively atmosphere of the Roman cityscape pervades the sheet. The precise rendering of the architecture and the animated street scene make the place feel authentic. Clear arrangement and the contrast between solid built substance and fleeting everyday life give the view a compelling effect.
Technique
For this etching, lines were bitten into a copper plate. The impression reveals fine, precise hatching that reproduces facade details and figures. The note 'before the first of five states' (Hind) refers to the print's history.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)