Italy, Lazio, Roma; Giovan Battista Piranesi - Spaccato interno della Basilica di S. Paolo fuori delle Mura, eretta da Costantino Magno - 1721-1750
“Spaccato interno della Basilica di S. Paolo fuori delle Mura, eretta da costantino Magno, divisa in cinque Navate co' sua Crociata. . . ” It is a stunning perspective view of the interior of the Basilica of S. Paolo fuori le Mura, with its five isles and the eighty marble and granite columns on four rows, as the title by Piranesi reads. In that area, in ancient times, stood a vast necropolis in use until the fourth century. When Emperor Constantine wanted to honour the apostle Paul of Tarsus, who was buried there, he had an imposing basilica erected right on that site. The magnificent spectacle of the Basilica must have left a lasting impression in the creative mind of Giovan Battista Piranesi, a Venetian artist whose father was a stonemason. The study of classical architecture had inevitably directed Piranesi towards Rome and its unique wonders, with which he fell in love when he admired them live, and which he always represented with his style, as a vestige of a time that is gone and yet still tinged with grandeur. Never forgetting the human presence as an integral part of the mise-en-scène, to which the figures, despite their diversity of wealth and fortune, add character and vitality. From Vedute di Roma, published at Jean Bouchard’s, bookseller at San Marcello al Corso, in Rome, 1749 Etching, burin and drypoint on laid paper with watermark (lily in a circle) ; two sheets joined by a paper sewing guard, with wide, slightly chipped and oxidised margins and blank verso. Widespread foxing Condition: in the first state of seven, without address or price. Signed at the bottom right “Piranesi fecit” Dimensions: - plate edge 42x62 cm - sheet size 52x70 cm
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“Spaccato interno della Basilica di S. Paolo fuori delle Mura, eretta da costantino Magno, divisa in cinque Navate co' sua Crociata. . . ” It is a stunning perspective view of the interior of the Basilica of S. Paolo fuori le Mura, with its five isles and the eighty marble and granite columns on four rows, as the title by Piranesi reads. In that area, in ancient times, stood a vast necropolis in use until the fourth century. When Emperor Constantine wanted to honour the apostle Paul of Tarsus, who was buried there, he had an imposing basilica erected right on that site. The magnificent spectacle of the Basilica must have left a lasting impression in the creative mind of Giovan Battista Piranesi, a Venetian artist whose father was a stonemason. The study of classical architecture had inevitably directed Piranesi towards Rome and its unique wonders, with which he fell in love when he admired them live, and which he always represented with his style, as a vestige of a time that is gone and yet still tinged with grandeur. Never forgetting the human presence as an integral part of the mise-en-scène, to which the figures, despite their diversity of wealth and fortune, add character and vitality. From Vedute di Roma, published at Jean Bouchard’s, bookseller at San Marcello al Corso, in Rome, 1749 Etching, burin and drypoint on laid paper with watermark (lily in a circle) ; two sheets joined by a paper sewing guard, with wide, slightly chipped and oxidised margins and blank verso. Widespread foxing Condition: in the first state of seven, without address or price. Signed at the bottom right “Piranesi fecit” Dimensions: - plate edge 42x62 cm - sheet size 52x70 cm
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