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| en.wikipedia.org |
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| commons.wikimedia.org |
I decided that my Pompeian mural would not be complete without an homage to one of the most remarkable men of the eighteenth century, Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Piranesi (1720-1778) was born in the then Republic of Venice, and studied with his uncle, who was an engineer specializing in excavation. Perhaps that whetted Giovanni's appetite for the etchings that would make him famous.
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| Piranesi: The Complete Etchings | Luigi Ficacci |
At the age of 20, Piranesi went to Rome, studied etching and engraving, and soon produced a series of Roman views that brought him his initial fame. Above is his depiction of the ruins of the forum of
Nerva.
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| Piranesi: The Complete Etchings | Luigi Ficacci |
Piranesi measured the ruins of Rome, then made beautiful topographic maps, as well as reconstructions of imperial Rome at its height. Above is Piranesi's reconstruction of the Campus Martius, originally a military field dedicated to the god Mars. Below is a another reconstruction of the Campus Martius, perhaps inspired by Piranesi's work.
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| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Piranesi: The Complete Etchings | Luigi Ficacci |
If that were that not enough, Piranesi recorded countless Roman fragments in multiple compositions like the one above.
The three previous engravings came from this book published by Taschen, and no library of architectural history (or for that matter decorative design) would be complete without it.
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| click to enlarge |
I should add before I go on that Piranesi is also famous for having drawn a series of imagined prisons. They'd fit in nicely with contemporary fantasy art and today's blockbuster movie sets. Piranesi was a most prolific fellow.
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| jamblimited.com |
When I saw this lovely urn, designed by Piranesi, I thought it would be perfect to place between the living room's ignudi.
As you can see, my own version has a different bottom than the original reference, but one that is also based on a Piranesi design.
Such a substantial urn deserves a plinth, perhaps even one with a commemorative portrait. But who is this? Certainly not Giovanni Battista Piranesi!
It is yours truly. The self-portrait measures approximately three inches high, or about the same size you're seeing it now, if you have a 21.5-inch screen.
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| click to enlarge |
Now the ignudi can contemplate the urn, rather than ogle each other, as they seemed to be doing before. This is a dark corner that abuts a floor-to-ceiling mirror, so it's a little difficult to light properly.
This angled view is actually a truer representation.
And with that, the living room part of the mural is finished. Now I'm going to double back and tweak a couple areas to which I mentioned I would return.
I hope you'll join me for the next stage.
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