Artwork Information

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.