Books and Manuscripts

Piranesi, (Giovanni Battista)
Veduta del Pantheon d'Agrippa oggi Chiesa di S. Maria ad Martyres
(Rome, 1761). Etching on wove paper. First state (of five). Scattered soiling in margins; stain in top right corner, not affecting image; wear along left edge. 21 11/16 x 31 1/2 in. (551 x 800 mm). In mat and in frame, 28 7/8 x 37 1/4 in. (733 x 946 mm). Hind 60; Piranesi: Rome Recorded 60

A handsome and strong impression with wide margins of Piranesi's etching of the facade of the Pantheon, from his series, Vedute di Roma. "This view of the Pantheon surpasses its predecessor (in Piranesi's Antichita Romane, 1756) in the monumental stability of its composition and the wealth of its archaeological detail...The print carries a long and detailed legend pointing out both ancient and modern features of the building, as designated by letters and asterisks...The changes of Popes Urban VIII and Alexander VII are noted in the legend, as are the modern grates, while the columns are shown partially sheathed in broadsides. While defending the building as the work of Marcus Agrippa, a view that was already under attack (it is now known to have been built during the reign of Hadrian), Piranesi pauses to remark on the tourists strolling on the roof of the dome; two even perch precariously on the edge of the oculus. Different kinds of stone and brickwork are carefully detailed through subtle modulations of dark and light, echoed also in the sky. These indicate Piranesi's mastery of his medium as well as of his subject." (Piranesi: Rome Recorded, p. 90)