Lot 287

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI ITALIAN, VENICE 1720-1778 ROME

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GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI ITALIAN, VENICE 1720-1778 ROME

Estimate: $3,900 - $6,300

Starting Bid: $1,000

(0 Bids)

by Jumbo Auction House
August 2, 2026 1:00 PM PDT
Live Auction
5091 Walnut Grove Ave
San Gabriel, CA, US CA 91776

Sheet Size: 825 x 565 mm (32.48 x 22.24 in) Plate Size: 618 x 458 mm (24.33 x 18.03 in),Giovanni Battista Piranesi Italian, Venice 1720-1778 Rome View of the Remains of the Tomb of the Plautii Family at Tivoli Source of Image: Giovanni Battista Piranesi Printmaker: Giovanni Battista Piranesi Dated 1761 Medium: Etching Watermarks: Dovecote, Dupuy Auvergne First Paris Edition, 1800-1809 Catalogue References: Wilton-Ely 216, Focillon 783, Hind (Piranesi) 83-1(3) Rijksmuseum Inventory Numbers: RP-P-1941-666, RP-P-OB-39.378 View of the Remains of the Tomb of the Plautii Family at Tivoli is an etched copperplate print completed in 1767 by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, an Italian classical archaeologist, architect and artist. It belongs to his celebrated series Vedute di Roma (Views of Rome). The suite encompasses all of Rome's most iconic classical monuments, including the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column and the Roman Forum, alongside depictions of the city as it appeared in Piranesi's lifetime. Piranesi developed a highly distinctive approach to rendering Rome's ancient architecture and ruins. He deliberately adopted a low vantage point and manipulated the scale and mass of buildings, while rendering human figures within the scene at a diminutive proportion. This artistic device magnifies the monumental grandeur and solemn memorial character of the structures. During Piranesi's era, a long-running debate divided architectural scholars: the dominant camp upheld the superiority of Greek antiquities over Roman ones. Piranesi aligned himself with the pro-Roman faction, and his prints served as powerful visual arguments advancing his stance. An Italian inscription runs along the lower margin of the plate: "Veduta degli' avanzi del sepolcro della famiglia Plauzia sulla via Tiburtina vicino al ponte Lugano due miglia lontano da Tivoli". Its literal translation reads: "View of the remains of the tomb of the Plautii family on the Tiburtine Way, near the Lugano Bridge, two miles from Tivoli". The ruins of the Tomb of the Plautii date back more than two thousand years. Commissioned at the time of Christ's birth by Marcus Plautius Silvanus, a friend of the Emperor Augustus, the monument is a vast circular edifice built following Etruscan architectural traditions. It stands upon a square base, with its cylindrical tower rising to a height of 35 metres. Stone stelae at the tomb's entrance record biographical details of the family members interred within. Pope Adrian IV chose this mausoleum as the venue for his meeting with Frederick Barbarossa. Michelangelo and Franz Liszt both passed the site while travelling to Tivoli, and numerous artists captured its once idyllic pastoral surroundings in their works. This impression bears two watermarks characteristic of Piranesi's later editions: a dovecote motif and the mark "Dupuy Auvergne". The paper originates from the Grand River Paper Mill in France's Auvergne region, one of the most significant papermaking establishments in 17th and 18th-century France, owned at that time by Thomas Dupuy. The paper's provenance confirms this impression is the fourth of seven distinct states, known as the First Paris Edition, produced between 1800 and 1809.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000