Parte della gran Muraglia

A drypoint etching by Giovanni Piranesi. Image measures 14 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches on 22 1/4 x 16 inch paper. The full title is "Parte della gran Muraglia, la quale circondava la grand'Area dell'Ustrino," meaning "Part of the wall which surrounded the crematorium." Original Ferdinand Roten label on mat! From the series, "Le Antichita Romane." C. 1784. Catalog: Ficacci 281. From a later edition. III/IV. 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.