Plate 17: The Arch of Rimini built by Augustus (Arco di Rimino fabbricato da Augusto), from "Alcune Vedute di Archi Trionfali ed altri monumenti inalzati da Romani parte di quali se veggono in Roma e parte per l'Italia"
Original title: Plate 17: The Arch of Rimini built by Augustus (Arco di Rimino fabbricato da Augusto), from "Alcune Vedute di Archi Trionfali ed altri monumenti inalzati da Romani parte di quali se veggono in Roma e parte per l'Italia"
kurzbeschreibung
Giovanni Battista Piranesi devoted this etching of around 1748 to the Arch of Augustus in Rimini. It belongs to his series 'Alcune Vedute di Archi Trionfali ed altri monumenti inalzati da Romani' and was executed as an etched print.
Description
A symmetrical layout steers the eye toward the triumphal arch, framed by columns and architraves and overgrown with plants. On the left, modern houses stand close by, folding the ancient structure into the life of the town. Behind it, further buildings rise in steps, giving way to a landscape of trees and hills. Soft, diffuse light is built up through fine hatching and line work.
Context
This print forms part of a series in which Piranesi recorded Roman triumphal arches and other monuments of Italy. The set was made in the mid-eighteenth century, while the artist was working in Rome and studying ancient architecture in depth. What is pictured is the Arch of Augustus at Rimini, raised in 27 BC in honour of the emperor Augustus.
Impact
A calm, almost timeless mood settles over the sheet, brought about by the balanced arrangement and gentle light. Climbing plants lend the ancient building a romantic hint of decay, characteristic of eighteenth-century vedute.
Technique
For the etching, the drawing was incised into a metal plate, which was then bitten with acid. The most delicate lines and shading yield a minutely detailed rendering of the kind typical of Piranesi. The plate measures 13.3 × 27.9 cm, the paper of the impression 33 × 47.6 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)