Artwork Page for The Tomb of Nero

Details / Information for The Tomb of Nero

Series Title: Grotteschi

The Tomb of Nero

1747–48

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

(Italian, 1720–1778)
publisher

Giovanni Bouchard

(Italian, 1700-1850)
Culture
Italy, 18th century
Medium
etching with engraving and drypoint
Measurements
Image and Plate: 39.1 x 55.3 cm (15 3/8 x 21 3/4 in.); Sheet: 52.9 x 76.8 cm (20 13/16 x 30 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection 1974.255
Catalogue raisonné
Focillon 22 ; Robison 23 ; Wilton-Ely 23
State
I/II
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Popularly associated with the Emperor Nero in the 1700s, the monument the artist depicted has since been identified as the tomb of P. Vibius Maranus.

Description

An ancient tomb, teeming with slithering snakes and overgrown vegetation, conjures the ruins of a strange and distant past in this print. The more lightly etched background appears faint against the jumble of darker lines in the foreground, as if the whole scene is slowly fading into the mist of time. Although the composition might seem to be one of pure imagination, the tomb it depicts was based on a real monument the artist had observed near Rome. Fascinated by classical antiquity, Giovanni Battista Piranesi evoked his own experience of seeing ruins, which he felt could not be conveyed by a more realistic portrayal.
An etching and engraving in horizontal orientation features black and gray ink depicting a dense landscape of crumbling classical ruins. On the left, a tall, carved structure with inscriptions stands amidst piles of masonry. Overgrown vines and leafy foliage, rendered with fine, dense hatching, entwine the weathered stone. In the center background, a large tree with tangled branches rises above the decay. Intricate textures and deep shadows emphasize weathered surfaces throughout the overgrown composition.

The Tomb of Nero

1747–48

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Giovanni Bouchard

(Italian, 1720–1778), (Italian, 1700-1850)
Italy, 18th century

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