Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Parte del Foro di Nerva (Part of the Forum of Nerva)

Parte del Foro di Nerva (Part of the Forum of Nerva) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artwork Detail

In the 1590s, Pope Sixtus V had begun the process of transforming Rome into a Baroque city, using grand road designs to focus on basilicas and ancient monuments, such as triumphal arches and forums.

When Piranesi first settled in Rome in 1740, there was little market for his more fantastical designs, and so he began to produce smaller scale views, recording the developments that had occurred under Pope Sixtus V. They served as the equivalent of post cards, and were eagerly collected by visitors on the Grand Tour.

Title
Parte del Foro di Nerva (Part of the Forum of Nerva)
Artist/creator
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Production date
1765
Medium
etching
Dimensions
421 x 541 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, bequest of Dr Walter Auburn, 1982
Accession no
M1982/1/4/21
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Department
International Art
Display status
Not on display

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