The Campus Martius of Ancient Rome, the Work of G.B. Piranesi, Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, London - Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Gift of Estelle Miller Weedon, Carolyn Miller Short and Miranda Miller in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Middleton Miller

"The Campus Martius of Ancient Rome, the Work of G.B. Piranesi, Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, London" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1762) Book with forty-nine etchings in black on ivory wove paper.

Commentary

"The Campus Martius of Ancient Rome, the Work of G.B. Piranesi, Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, London" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1762) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards c lose viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Giovanni Battista Piranesi is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Giovanni Battista Piranesi Italian, 1720-1778. The work is cataloged within a Italy cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Book with forty-nine etchings in black on ivory wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Closed: 58 × 43 × 2.4 cm (22 7/8 × 16 15/16 × 1 in.); Open: 83.7 × 58 cm (33 × 22 7/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185220

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data