View of the Villa d'Este, Tivoli, from Views of Rome
1773, published 1800–07
Medium
Etching on heavy ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 46.6 × 70.1 cm (18 3/8 × 27 5/8 in.); Plate: 47.1 × 70.5 cm (18 9/16 × 27 13/16 in.); Sheet: 55 × 77.7 cm (21 11/16 × 30 5/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
64520
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
When Giovanni Battista Piranesi came to Rome in 1740, he was fascinated with the coexistence of antiquities and modern developments in the city. Especially fond of Rome’s architecture and ruins, the artist used his etchings to bring the city’s landmarks alive, romantically capturing Rome in its most idealized state. View of the Villa d’Este, Tivoli contrasts the ancient Roman statues on the grounds with the grandiose Mannerist-style villa. Piranesi’s precise detail transforms an already-majestic...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Piranesi · 1720–1778
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) was an Italian printmaker, architect, and antiquarian whose visionary etchings of Rome and imaginary prisons revolutionized architectural representation and profoundly influenced both Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Piranesi stands as one of the most important printmakers of the eighteenth century, fundamentally shaping European perceptions of ancient Rome an...