The Remains of the Mausoleum of Augustus, plate XXI from The Campus Martius of Ancient Rome - Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Gift of Dr. Miriam L. Vishny

"The Remains of the Mausoleum of Augustus, plate XXI from The Campus Martius of Ancient Rome" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (first published 1762) Etching in black ink on cream laid paper.

Commentary

"The Remains of the Mausoleum of Augustus, plate XXI from The Campus Martius of Ancient Rome" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (first published 1762) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include print. 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 print, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Etching in black ink on cream laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Plate: 21.5 × 35.4 cm (8 1/2 × 13 15/16 in.); Sheet: 39.7 × 53.3 cm (15 11/16 × 21 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include print. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/260155

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