Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Veduta della fonte e delle spelonche d'Egeria fuor della Porta Capena or di S. Sebastiano. (The fountain and grotto of Egeria outside the Porta Capena)

Veduta della fonte e delle spelonche d'Egeria fuor della Porta Capena or di S. Sebastiano. (The fountain and grotto of Egeria outside the Porta Capena) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artwork Detail

The temple of Bacchus looms on the hilltop in Piranesi's engraving. He uses artistic license to incorporate desired items in his work as, in fact, the temple could not be seen from the Valley of the Grotto of Egeria. Like many of his etchings this work has a distinctly theatrical feel, no doubt influenced by his early association with professional stage set designers such as Filippo Juvarra, whose work he adapted on several occasions. Piranesi made drawings of Juvarra's settings for Amadei's opera Teodosio il Giovane (produced in Rome in 1711), several of which are now in the British Museum.

Title
Veduta della fonte e delle spelonche d'Egeria fuor della Porta Capena or di S. Sebastiano. (The fountain and grotto of Egeria outside the Porta Capena)
Artist/creator
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Production date
1766
Medium
etching
Dimensions
405 x 690 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, bequest of Dr Walter Auburn, 1982
Accession no
M1982/1/4/87
Other ID
012 Auburn Catalogue
Copyright
No known copyright restrictions
Department
International Art
Display status
Not on display

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