Plan of the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, wife of the Triumvir Marcus Crassus..., tome 3, tavola 49 from "Le Antichità Romane" (Roman Antiquities)
While Piranesi's 'Vedute' record the present appearance of the relics of antiquity, he also dug deeper, investigating the engineering feats of the ancient Romans and attempting to reconstruct the former appearance of the ancient city. His 'Antichità Romane' of 1756, a four-volume work that won him admittance to the British Society of Antiquarians, includes maps of the ancient walls and aqueduct system and a thorough investigation of Roman burial customs. The third volume illustrates the sepulchral monuments of the Via Appia Antica, including six plates devoted to the tomb of Cecilia Metella. In plate 49, Piranesi combines a number of views—an elevation, a plan, a cross-section, details of the masonry construction—to create a handsomely designed and informative page.
Artwork Details
- Title: Plan of the Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella, wife of the Triumvir Marcus Crassus..., tome 3, tavola 49 from "Le Antichità Romane" (Roman Antiquities)
- Series/Portfolio: Le Antichità Romane, tome 3
- Artist: Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, Mogliano Veneto 1720–1778 Rome)
- Publisher: Angelo Rotili
- Date: published 1756–57
- Medium: Etching
- Dimensions: Sheet: 21 1/4 x 30 5/16 in. (54 x 77 cm)
Plate: 17 5/16 x 20 1/2 in. (44 x 52 cm) - Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, transferred from the Library
- Object Number: 41.71.1.3(49)
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Multiple artists/makers
published 1756–57
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1740s–60s
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
ca. 1761
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1757, 1761
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
1750
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