Print Etching OBELISCO EGIZIO by Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Description: Obelisco Egizio (Egyptian Obelisk) work included in Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome) by Artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720-1778), realized in Rome, 1759. Platemark: Approximately 21 x 15-3/4 inches (53.3 x 40 cm) on Sheet within frame that measures approximately 28.25 x 22.25 inches (71.8 x 56.5 cm) With the Obelisco as the focus of this etching, Piranesi maintains his practice of annotating his work, assigning numbers and captions to three surrounding structures: 1. Palazzo fabricato da Sisto V. ora Conservatorio di Zitelle. 2. Scala Santa. 3. Rovine di Acquedotti antichi. Please zoom in on photographs carefully to evaluate condition and any blemishes to frame. Paper does have some light "rippling" visible in photos. Tanned paper consistent with age. Etching remains crisp. Selling "as is". Cardboard backing held by nails (see closeup photo). Paper backing can be replaced after improving backboard to better support etching. Wire hanger on back. Will be shipped in frame as is. Age of frame and source unknown from family estate. Wooden frame with carved accent relief (see photo with sample closeup section). The following historical information has been derived from and is being credited to posted internet pages of Yale University, Wellesley, and Bowdoin College collectively: Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his numerous etchings depicting the monuments of ancient and modern Rome. He is credited with creating some of the most iconic and widely circulated images of the Italian peninsula and its ancient ruins. Trained as an architect and draftsman, Piranesi applied these skills to producing studies of Roman ruins that were popular sites among tourists. His most famous series, the Vedute di Roma Views of Rome, 1750-1778, occupied the better part of the artist's energies for three decades and included views of the Colosseum, the Arch of Titus, the Pantheon, and other monuments throughout the city. The hundreds of inventive and intricately detailed views he created during his lifetime, especially of Rome, were extremely popular souvenirs among eighteenth-century English gentry on the Grand Tour. Bound as a series in volumes or sold as individual sheets, Piranesi's works continued to be printed well into the nineteenth century and were equally popular among American tourists of this period. By the middle of the nineteenth century, Piranesi's etchings could be found in many public and private collections in the United States, including a complete set gifted to the Boston Public Library in 1869. Piranesi's Obelisco Egizio, from the series Vedute di Roma, depicts the "Lateran obelisk", the largest standing obelisk in the world, first constructed during the reign of Tuthmoses III (1504-1450 BCE), and erected in the temple complex at Karnak during the reign of his grandson, Tuthmoses IV, during a period of relative peace and prosperity in Egypt. It served as a rare example of a single obelisk in the temple, as most came in pairs. The obelisk was ordered to be delivered to Constantinople under emperor Constantine (274-337 CE), however the task was never accomplished, and the obelisk was eventually delivered to Rome under Constantius II (r. 337-361 CE), Constantine's son and successor. The Obelisk was raised in the middle of the spina of the Circus Maximus, next to the Flaminian Obelisk, a monument erected by emperor Augustus in 10 CE. An inscription, added in verse, dedicates the obelisk to Rome and credits Constantius II with restoring unity to the empire, as Constantine would have taken the monument instead to Contantinople. Over the centuries, the obelisk fell, fragmented into pieces, and was buried by debris and rising ground levels. It was eventually excavated and repaired under Pope Sixtus V (1521-1590) and placed in its current location, the Piazza San Giovanni Laterano. The excavated Flaminian Obelisk was placed in the Piazza del Popolo. In the etching, Piranesi depicts the grandeur of this massive structure. It is placed directly at the center of the composition, towering over neighboring buildings and miniscule figures. Sunlight illuminates the obelisk's face, further emphasizing the detail given to each carved hieroglyph, and its stone surface and sharp angles place it in contrast to the light, billowing clouds in the background. The size of the obelisk is further emphasized by the extension and lighting of further homes and buildings in the leftmost side of the print. Thank you for your interest!

Price: 350 USD

Location: Arlington, Virginia

End Time: 2024-12-01T17:21:09.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD