Giovan Battista Piranesi | Vases, Candelabra, Memorial Stones, Sarcophagi, Tripods, Oil Lamps..

GIOVAN BATTISTA PIRANESI | Vases, candelabra, memorial stones, sarcophagi, tripods, oil lamps and ancient ornaments

Rome, c. 1780. 10 plates, etching and engraving on large-format laid paper.

Published in Rome between 1778 and 1780, the collection ‘Vases, candelabra, memorial stones, sarcophagi, tripods, oil lamps and ancient ornaments’ represents the spiritual and artistic legacy of Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Comprising 112 large-format plates, the work constitutes one of the pillars of European Neoclassical culture, skilfully blending archaeological rigour with visionary invention.

Piranesi, who also worked as a restorer and dealer in his workshop at Palazzo Tomati, conceived this series with a dual purpose: on the one hand, it served as a luxurious sales catalogue for the wealthy travellers of the Grand Tour; on the other, it represented a theoretical manifesto aimed at celebrating the inexhaustible imagination of Roman ornamentation in contrast to the Greek rigour championed by Winckelmann. Many of the objects depicted were manipulated or augmented by the artist himself, who combined ancient fragments with modern elements to create models of aesthetic ‘perfection’.

Stylistically, the engravings are distinguished by a dramatic use of chiaroscuro and an almost obsessive technical precision, which lends the objects a monumental solemnity. The work had a formidable impact on the taste of the era, directly influencing the development of the Empire style and Regency taste in England. Each plate often bears a dedication to prominent figures of the time, such as the collector William Beckford, highlighting the role of art as an instrument of cultural diplomacy.

Following Giovanni Battista’s death in 1778, the publication was completed and managed by his son Francesco Piranesi. This historical circumstance often leads to confusion in bibliographical attributions and auction catalogues, where the prints are sometimes attributed to the son, despite the fact that the conception and the bulk of the execution were the work of his father’s masterful hand. Today, these etchings are held in major institutions worldwide, bearing witness to a heritage that has shaped the Western imagination of antiquity.

Also available individually for €400 including frame.

list of the ten plates from the series "Vases, Candelabra, Cippi, Sarcophagi, Tripods, Lamps, and Ancient Ornaments" by Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

Calyx Vase with Acanthus Leaves

• Dedication: To Mr. William Beckford, English Knight.

• Description: Ancient marble vase with a fluted body and decorated rim, supported by a slender stem.

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