The Pyramid of Gaius Cestius, from Views of Rome
1750/59, published 1800–07 · Etching on heavy ivory laid paper · Image: 38.7 × 53.1 cm (15 1/4 × 20 15/16 in.); Plate: 39.2 × 53.6 cm (15 7/16 × 21 1/8 in.); Sheet: 47.5 × 60.9 cm (18 3/4 × 24 in.)
Piranesi, The Pyramid of Gaius Cestius, from Views of Rome, 1750/59, published 1800–07. Etching on heavy ivory laid paper.
The Art Institute of Chicago · The Charles Deering Collection
How to look at a Piranesi
- Find the figures first. Then look at how big the architecture has become because of them.
- Follow the gradient on the largest plane. It never bands.
- Look at his skies: broken, directional lines, never flat hatching.
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2 studies of this work
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