Workshop of Giovanni Battista Piranesi

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Workshop of Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1720-1778
Weapons of Ancient Roman Design
ca. 1760-1775
Black chalk on paper.
10 3/4 x 13 5/16 inches (273 x 339 mm)
Bequest of Junius S. Morgan and gift of Henry S. Morgan.
1966.11:41
Notes: 

These studies of Roman arms are akin to those that appear on the base of Trajan's Column, though it is uncertain whether they date to ca. 1775, when Piranesi published his "Trofeo o sia Magnifica Colonna...," or to an earlier moment in the 1760s when Piranesi was actively collecting ancient motifs for use in various projects.

Inscription: 

Numbered at upper left, in graphite, "75".
Watermark: Fleur-de-lis inside circle, with bird above, and letter "B" below circle, centered on chain line. See also 1966.11:28.

Provenance: 
Mrs. J. P. Morgan, New York; by descent to her sons Junius S. Morgan, Princeton and Paris (no mark, see Lugt 1536) and Henry S. Morgan, New York.
Watermark: 
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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.

Bibliography: 

Stampfle, Felice. Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Drawings in the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Dover, 1978, no. 41, repr.

Catalog link: 
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Artist page: 
Piranesi, Giovanni Battista
Classification: 
Drawing
Department: 
Drawings and Prints