1228 - GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI (Mogliano Veneto, 1720–Rome, 1778), 1776

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI (Mogliano Veneto, 1720–Rome, 1778), 1776 "The Tomb Known as La Conocchia." Engraving This unique tomb is nicknamed La Conocchia, or “spindle,” because of its shape. It is located on the Appian Way, south of Rome, near the border with Naples. It is believed to have been built in the 2nd century A.D., possibly for Emperor Vespasian’s only daughter. Here, as elsewhere, Piranesi populates his images with picturesque figures whose interest in antiquity seems limited to providing them with a place to rest or shelter from the intense Italian sun. The artist uses the figures to convey a sense of the monument’s scale and the enormity of ancient ambition compared to that of his own time. Dimensions: (72.23 x 48.1 cm for the plate and 76.84 x 54.29 cm for the sheet)