Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Castel Sant'Angelo
Artwork Detail
Piranesi exaggerates scale and detail to heighten the sense of drama within the scene. Originally the Mausoleum of Hadrian, Castel Sant' Angelo became a place of refuge for Pope Clement VII during the Sack of Rome in 1527. A marble statue of an angel was first erected on the roof in 590 AD. It celebrated the moment when, during a procession to stop the plague, Pope Gregory saw the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword. This was replaced with a bronze sculpture of the Archangel in 1752.
- Title
- Castel Sant'Angelo
- Artist/creator
- Production date
- 1754
- Medium
- etching
- Dimensions
- 432 x 559 mm
- Credit line
- Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1962
- Accession no
- 1962/10/1
- Copyright
- No known copyright restrictions
- Department
- International Art
- Display status
- Not on display
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