Architectural complex: a Court with a Domed Building. Verso: Fragments of Plans

Though not directly related to any of the prints of the Prima parte, this architectural fantasy also dates to the early 1740s. Piranesi combined the pedimented front of the Pantheon with a dome raised on a high drum, akin to that of St. Peter's Basilica, then set the building in a rectangular courtyard. An inscription at lower right suggests that an equestrian sculpture ("Statua al Cavallo") would be added to the scheme. The lively rendering and calligraphic shorthand--for example, the twisting lines that indicate sculpture at the roofline of the courtyard-demonstrate Piranesi's growing confidence as a draftsman and inventor.