The Museum of Belles Arts de València bets for the exhibition -within the permanent collection- seven metal plates by Venetian engraver, archaeologist and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), who is considered to be one of the most important engravers of the 18th Century.
22 february 2016
The Museum of Belles Arts de València bets for the exhibition -within the permanent collection- seven metal plates by Venetian engraver, archaeologist and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), who is considered to be one of the most important engravers of the 18th Century. As stated by the Valencian Government, the broadsheet prints will be exhibited in the premise’s first floor, were the author’s signature can be experienced.
From the series “Vedute di Roma”, many works are exhibited: “Views of Plaza España”, “Plaza Navona”, “View of Constantine’s arch and of Flavio or Coliseo amphitheatre” and “Frontispicio” (busts, medallions, statues, Constantine’s marble foot, and Palas Goddess. And the series "Le antichità romane" exhibits the “Views of the bridge and the mausoleum built by emperor Elio Adriano”, a manifesto on the way the marbles were built for the construction of Cecilia Metela’s sepulchre.
The “Vedute di Roma” was the series started in mid 1740s and is considered to be one of Piranesi’s greatest productions where he recreates the state of the city in the middle of the 18th Century. Within the engravings, the monuments are the spotlight as they are recreated with all ornaments and details and the use of characters only serves as a way of boosting its monumental scale. Regarding the series “Roman Antiquities”, it dates back to 1756 and was published in four original volumes dedicated to the old buildings of Imperial Rome (volume 1), the sepulchral monuments (volumes 2 and 3) and the bridges, theatres and porticos of the Roman Age (volume 4). Piranesi’s portrait made by his master Felice Polanzani in 1750, has been included in this series and added to the permanent collection.
The Museu de Belles Arts de València includes a total of 680 prints by Piranesi, which were mostly acquired during the 18th Century by the Saint Charles Royal Academy of Fine Arts under the request of Valencian painter Luis Planes. The last time they were publicly exhibited was during a temporary exhibition in this same Museum (from 5 July to 2 October 2011), which included 55 original engravings, all of them in a big format. The illumination of the exhibition area will be adjusted to a maximum of 40 lux due to the fragility of paper works. Additionally, the Museum’s technicians will renew Piranesi’s exhibited works every three months to grant a proper state of conservation.
