A drypoint etching by Giovanni Piranesi. The full title is "Iscrizioni nelle Camere sepolcrali de' Liberti, e Servi, ec. della Famiglia di Augusto," which means "Inscriptions in the burial chambers of the Liberti, and Servi, etc. of the Family of Augustus." Original Ferdinand Roten label on mat! From the series, "Le Antichita Romane." C. 1784. State III/III. Catalog: Ficacci 308. The plate measures 15 1/2 by 19 inches on 22 1/4 28 3/4 inch paper. Piranesi was an Italian artist and designer, best known for his series of etchings of Ancient Roman ruins, the "Vedute di Roma". These striking, monumental images of the ancient grandeur of the Roman Empire provided inspiration for many of the artists of the Neoclassical movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
