Parte di ampio magnifico Porto all'uso degli antichi Romani, ove si scuopre l'interno della gran Piazza pel Comercio... (Part of a spacious and magnificent Harbor for the use of the ancient Romans opening onto a large market square...), from "Opere Varie di Archiettura, prospettive, grotteschi, antichità; inventate, ed incise da Giambattista Piranesi Architetto Veneziano" (Various Works of Architecture, perspectives, grotesques, and antiquities; designed and etched by Giambattista Piranesi, Venetian Architect)

The ticket

Parte di ampio magnifico Porto all'uso degli antichi Romani, ove si scuopre l'interno della gran Piazza pel Comercio... (Part of a spacious and magnificent Harbor for the use of the ancient Romans opening onto a large market square...), from "Opere Varie di Archiettura, prospettive, grotteschi, antichità; inventate, ed incise da Giambattista Piranesi Architetto Veneziano" (Various Works of Architecture, perspectives, grotesques, and antiquities; designed and etched by Giambattista Piranesi, Venetian Architect) is a print by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, Mogliano Veneto 1720–1778 Rome), dated ca. 1749–50. Etching, engraving, drypoint; second state of seven (Robison). Size on the museum record: Mat: 8 11/16 x 11 in. (22 x 28 cm) Sheet: 19 1/2 x 25 3/16 in. (49.5 x 64 cm) Plate: 15 3/4 x 21 7/16 in. (40 x 54.5 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Drawings and Prints collection — Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937.

The Met catalogs Parte di ampio magnifico Porto all'uso degli antichi Romani, ove si scuopre l'interno della gran Piazza pel Comercio... (Part of a spacious and magnificent Harbor for the use of the ancient Romans opening onto a large market square...), from "Opere Varie di Archiettura, prospettive, grotteschi, antichità; inventate, ed incise da Giambattista Piranesi Architetto Veneziano" (Various Works of Architecture, perspectives, grotesques, and antiquities; designed and etched by Giambattista Piranesi, Venetian Architect) as an etching, engraving, drypoint; second state of seven (robison) by Giovanni Battista Piranesi. The museum dates it ca. 1749–50 (accession 37.45.3(41), Drawings and Prints). The subject is water and weather, so the sky-to-sea balance carries the picture; keep the horizon level when you hang it. The Met's scan measures 3,730 × 2,762 pixels, which prints about 12.4 × 9.2 in at 300 dpi and 24.9 × 18.4 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Its wide proportions sit naturally over a sofa, console or bed, and the crop figures in the set builder show what a standard frame would trim. Its muted earth tones are forgiving: natural wood softens the palette, walnut deepens it and black frames it like a gallery. Line work lives on contrast. Print it on smooth bright paper and give it a wider frame or mat so the fine marks are not swallowed. Light it from above with a soft warm bulb, hang the centre of the picture near 57 inches, and it will read as intended instead of as decoration.

The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 3,730 × 2,762 pixels — 10.3 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 12.4 × 9.2 in. That is roughly life-size: the print itself measures about 11 × 8.7 in.Line work lives or dies on contrast. Print it on a smooth, bright paper and give it a wide mat: small graphic work drowns in a thin frame and a big empty border makes it look like it came out of a print room drawer.

On the receipt

Artist

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Date

ca. 1749–50

Medium

Etching, engraving, drypoint; second state of seven (Robison)

Size

Mat: 8 11/16 x 11 in. (22 x 28 cm) Sheet: 19 1/2 x 25 3/16 in. (49.5 x 64 cm) Plate: 15 3/4 x 21 7/16 in. (40 x 54.5 cm)

Museum

The Met · Drawings and Prints

Accession

37.45.3(41)

License

Public domain · CC0 1.0

Source

Museum record ↗