
Artwork Information
Nowhere was Piranesi more theatrical than in his remarkable depictions of prisons. Gloomy caverns open onto a warren of tunnels, arches, bridges, and vast buttresses, criss-crossed by great ropes and chains, suggesting grim tortures. They influenced stage designers in the latter part of the 18th century, as well as the romantic movement in the 19th century. Théophile Gautier wanted to stage Hamlet in such a setting, while Thomas de Quincey compared them to his own drug-induced deliriums.
- Title
- The grand piazza - Carcere IV
- Production Date
- 1760-1761
- Medium
- etching
- Dimensions
- 584 x 448 mm
- Credit Line
- Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1961
- Accession No
- 1961/6
- Copyright
- No known copyright restrictions
- Department
- International Art
- Display Status
- Not on display
More by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (108)

Frontispiece
circa 1943

Vestibolo d'antico Tempio ... (Vestibule of an ancient temple)
circa 1743

Foro antico Romano circondato da portici, con logge, alcune delle quali si uniscono al Palazzo Imperiale ed altre alle Carceri (Ancient Roman Forum surrounded by porticoes, with loggias, some of which communicate with the Imperial Palace and others with
circa 1743

Mausoleo antico cretto per le ceneri d'un Imperadore Romano ... (Ancient Mausoleum erected for the ashes of a Roman Emperor)
circa 1743
Explore Connections (9)

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