About this artwork
This print is one of four grotesques (decorative fantasies) included in Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s popular series of architectural views of Rome and its surroundings. This kind of composition was inspired by Roman wall decorations discovered during the Renaissance and was meant to incorporate dissimilar elements in a whimsical and ornamental manner. This particular etching includes, among other things, a back view of the often-copied Farnese Hercules, a large zodiac wheel partly visible at the upper right, and various fragmentary skeletons adorned with tufts of wavy hair.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Giovanni Battista Piranesi
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Title
- The Skeletons
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Place
- Italy (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1750
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Medium
- Etching on heavy ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Image: 38.9 × 54.2 cm (15 3/8 × 21 3/8 in.); Plate: 39.3 × 54.7 cm (15 1/2 × 21 9/16 in.); Sheet: 59 × 80.7 cm (23 1/4 × 31 13/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Art Institute of Chicago
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Reference Number
- 1922.5606
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/7385/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.