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The image shows intricate lines and shapes creating elaborate arches and architectural structures. The drawing has a swirling and overlapping design that suggests chaotic motion within a grand structure. The abstract assembly resembles a grand cathedral or a palatial hall, with arches and columns akin to classical architecture. Figures and decorative flourishes are interspersed throughout, resembling statues or ornate carvings typical of an embellished building.
National Gallery of Art · Drawing
A Magnificent Palatial Interior
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
- Date
- 1748/1752
- Medium
- pen and brown ink with brown wash with graphite over red chalk, touches of black chalk on laid paper, incised
- Dimensions
- overall: 37.6 × 51.5 cm (14 13/16 × 20 1/4 in.)
- Classification
- Drawing
- Accession number
- 2000.9.20
- Credit line
- Gift of Gertrude Laughlin Chanler
- Time span
- 1726 to 1750
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- architecture
- Venetian
- Stairs
- interior
- Statue
- Palace
- Monument
Provenance
The Hon. Irwin Boyle Laughlin [1871-1941], Washington, D.C.; by inheritanc to his wife, Therese Iselin Laughlin [d. 1958], Washington, D.C.; by inheritance to their daughter, Gertrude Laughlin Chanler [d. 1999], New York; gift to NGA, 2000.
NGA object ID 80710. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.