Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1720-1778
Architectural Complex of Galleries and Arcades with Niches, Trophies, and Oculi
ca. 1747-1749
16 5/8 x 21 13/16 inches (422 x 553 mm)
Black chalk on laid paper.
1966.11:6
Bequest of Junius S. Morgan and gift of Henry S. Morgan.
Notes
This faint sketch is unusual among Piranesi's drawings of this type in that it was not worked up in pen, ink, and wash. The architecture studied here is similar to that in the "Parte di Ampio Magnifico Porto," which appeared in the "Opere Varie" of ca. 1750. This is consistent, too, with the paper, which is a type that Piranesi used in the late 1740s.
Watermark: Fleur-de-lis inside circle, surmounted by letters "ACC", with letter "F" below circle, centered on chain line. Same as watermark on 1966.11:7
Watermark: Fleur-de-lis inside circle, surmounted by letters "ACC", with letter "F" below circle, centered on chain line. Same as watermark on 1966.11:7
Associated names
Morgan, Jane Norton, 1868-1925, former owner.
Morgan, Junius Spencer, 1892-1960, former owner.
Morgan, Henry S. (Henry Sturgis), 1900-1982, former owner.
Morgan, Junius Spencer, 1892-1960, former owner.
Morgan, Henry S. (Henry Sturgis), 1900-1982, former owner.
Bibliography
Stampfle, Felice. Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Drawings in the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Dover, 1978, no. 6, repr.
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