← Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Stairways adorned by magnificent architecture... (Gruppo di Scale ornato di magnifica Architettura...), from "Prima Parte di Architettura, e Prospettive"

Original title: Stairways adorned by magnificient architecture... (Gruppo di Scale ornato di magnifica Architettura...), from "Prima Parte di Architettura, e Prospettive"

Artist

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Date

ca. 1750

Medium

Etching

Dimensions

Plate (Image): 9 5/8 × 14 9/16 in. (24.5 × 37 cm) Plate (Inscription): 11/16 × 14 7/16 in. (1.8 × 36.6 cm) Sheet: 13 1/4 × 19 1/2 in. (33.7 × 49.5 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937

kurzbeschreibung

Figures climb a series of staircases, passing columns and arches, up to a semicircular stage. This etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, made around 1750, belongs to the series 'Prima Parte di Architettura, e Prospettive' and shows a monumental staircase complex with magnificent architecture.

Description

The layout is symmetrical: rows of columns and arched openings frame the view and draw the eye inward. Stairs connect different levels and lead toward a semicircular stage intended for theatrical performances. Many figures populate the print—some climb the steps, others pause to look. Light falling from above highlights the architectural members, while fine hatching and contrasts model the monochrome gray palette.

Context

In the late 1740s Piranesi was working in Rome, where he made a name for himself as a draftsman and etcher. The series 'Prima Parte di Architettura, e Prospettive' served as a model book for architecture students and collectors of antiquities; it combines actual Roman buildings with imagined reconstructions. The present subject presents an idealized, theatrical architectural vision, inspired by Roman stage sets and the veduta painting of the period.

Impact

A monumental, almost overwhelming sense of space unfolds and pulls the eye deep into the architecture. Precise lines and targeted lighting create a dramatic yet elegant mood characteristic of Piranesi.

Technique

A copper plate was etched for printing, allowing fine, exact lines. The gradations of gray arise from varying density and crossing of lines and from the depth of etching. The sheet is printed on laid paper, which reproduces the details of the plate clearly.

AI-generated description text

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