The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 20, 2026

A vertically oriented etching in black ink depicts a cavernous stone interior teeming with architectural complexity. In the foreground, a railed staircase climbs from the lower left. Thick beams and heavy chains suspend a diagonal drawbridge above. Massive arches and spiraling staircases recede into the distance, populated by tiny, indistinct figures. Dense, cross-hatched lines create deep shadows and stark highlights, emphasizing the monumental scale and dizzying depth of the structure.

The Prisons: An Immense Interior with a Drawbridge

1745–1750

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

(Italian, 1720–1778)
Italy, 18th century
etching
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1941.26.5
Catalogue raisonné: Focillon 30 ; Hind 7
Location: Not on view
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 149 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 149 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 145 archive.org
  • Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 3, 1958-October 11, 1959).
  • {{cite web|title=The Prisons: An Immense Interior with a Drawbridge|url=false|author=Giovanni Battista Piranesi|year=1745–1750|access-date=20 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1941.26.5