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Study of Fragments of Etruscan Friezes at Corneto from Trattato della introduzione e del progresso delle belle arti in Europa ne’ tempi antichi

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Artwork Details

Study of Fragments of Etruscan Friezes at Corneto from Trattato della introduzione e del progresso delle belle arti in Europa ne’ tempi antichi
1765
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
etching on laid paper
20 13/16 in x 14 15/16 in (52.86 cm x 37.94 cm);28 1/16 in x 22 1/16 in (71.28 cm x 56.04 cm);16 5/16 in x 10 15/16 in (41.43 cm x 27.78 cm);20 13/16 in x 14 15/16 in (52.86 cm x 37.94 cm)
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink
1985/2.132

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Description

Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Italy, 1720–1778
Study of Fragments of Etruscan Friezes at Corneto,
from Trattato della introduzione e del progresso delle belle
arti in Europa ne’ tempi antichi (Treatise on the introduction
and the progress of the fine arts in Europe in ancient times)
1765
Etching on laid paper
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink, 1985/2.132

Subject Matter:

This etching is one of three pages of decorative Etruscan friezes that Piranesi drew from the tombs at Chiusi and corneto in Tuscany, and which he produced to accompany his preface to "Della Introduzione delle Belle Arti" in 1765. Piranesi imaginatively combines ten friezes onto a single page, employing a trompe l'oeil effect to portray the tomb decorations as three-dimensional fragments neatly stacked on top of one another. The lively diagonal and geometric designs that adorn the surfaces of the friezes provide an energetic counterpoint to the regulated horizontal bands that contain them. As with Piranesi's other fantastical assemblages of architectural elements, this print was intended to educate and inspire artists.

Physical Description:

A black and white etching depicting several Etruscan friezes.

Usage Rights:

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