Books and Manuscripts

Piranesi, (Giovanni Battista)
Veduta dell' Anfiteatro Flavio, detto il Colosseo
(Rome, 1757). Etching on wove paper. First state (of four). Scattered pale spotting in margins. 21 11/16 x 30 9/16 in. (551 x 776 mm). In mat and in frame, 27 1/4 x 37 1/4 in. (692 x 946 mm). Hind 57; Piranesi: Rome Recorded 59

A handsome impression with wide margins of Piranesi's dramatic view of the Colosseum, from his series, Vedute di Roma. "In this print variety characterizes the artist's means of aggrandizing the exterior for an audience interested in facts. Rather than centering the monument, which would have created a void on the right where the exterior wall no longer stands, Piranesi fills the available space. To emphasize the height of the structure, he chooses a low point of view on the Esquiline Hill. His view depicts the north-west wall, mostly intact...Piranesi directs the viewer to the monument as if he or she were an ancient Roman on the way to the games." (Piranesi: Rome Recorded, p. 89)