Piranesi as Designer

by John Wilton-Ely

Justly renowned as one of the finest printmakers of the eighteenth century, Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) is best known for his etched views of Rome and its antiquities, as well as for his highly influential suite of drawings entitled Carceri , or Imaginary Prisons . Trained as an architect, Piranesi revolutionized architecture and design through his combination of decorative elements and ornamental motifs from the Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek and Roman styles; yet his work as the designer of interiors and furnishings has been largely uncelebrated until now. Published in conjunction with a major exhibition at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, in 2007, Piranesi as Designer features ten accessible essays and more than 300 rare illustrations that explore the far-reaching impact of Piranesi's style on three centuries of architecture and design.

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2007