{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O791841"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O791841/"}},"images":null,"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O791841","accessionNumber":"E.4597-1908","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Bronze tripod","type":""},{"title":"Vases, candelabra, grave stones, sarcophagi, tripods, lamps, and ornaments designed and etched by Cavalieri Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Paris edition)","type":"series title"},{"title":"Vasi, candelabri, cippi, sarcofagi, tripodi, lucerne, ed ornamenti antichi disegnati ed incisi dal Cav. Gio. Batt. Piranesi","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"This print is from <i>Vases, Candelabra, Grave Stones, Sarcophagi, Tripods, Lamps, and Ornaments Designed and Etched by Cavaliere Giovanni Battista Piranesi,</i>which consists of two bound volumes of etchings. These are Volumes 12 and 13 of the 27 folio volumes of works by Giovanni Battista and his son Francesco Piranesi, published in Paris by the <i>Calcographie des Piranesi frères </i>(1800–1807). \n\nVolume 12 contains 55 plates, while Volume 13 includes 57 plates. Both were uniformly bound by Tessier, Paris (label in each volume). The complete sets of prints in these volumes correspond to accession numbers E.4553-4608-1908 (Volume 12) and E.4609-4679-1908 (Volume 13). The copper plates are in the Istituto Centrale per la Grafica, Rome.\n\r\nDuring the late eighteenth century, the restoration and trade of classical antiquities flourished in Rome, with Giovanni Battista Piranesi playing a central role. After the death of Clement XIII in 1769 and the decline of Rezzonico patronage, Piranesi increasingly relied on this activity, working closely with figures like Thomas Jenkins and Gavin Hamilton. Hamilton’s excavations in the Pantanello area of Hadrian’s Villa provided valuable artifacts for British aristocrats on the Grand Tour. To cater to this market, Piranesi established a showroom in Palazzo Tomati, near Piazza di Spagna, strategically positioned in Rome’s British quarter.\n\r\nFrom 1768, Piranesi published plates depicting antiquities, including urns, sarcophagi, and the Warwick Vase. These works, compiled in <i>Vasi, candelabri, cippi, sarcofagi…</i> (1778), included detailed inscriptions on the objects’ origins and locations. Some plates were dedicated to influential patrons, and multiple views were provided for complex pieces. When necessary, Piranesi reconstructed missing elements, sometimes borrowing motifs from other sources.\r\n\r\nHis approach to restoration went beyond conventional practices. In <i>Diverse Maniere</i>, he advocated for the creative reuse of classical elements, combining motifs from different styles. His designs included chimneypieces for Lord Exeter and John Hope, monumental candelabra, and furniture pieces incorporating ancient fragments. Notable examples include candelabra now in the Ashmolean Museum and the Louvre, as well as his Egyptian-style decorations for the Caffè degli Inglesi in Rome.\n\r\nAlthough his methods were criticized by some contemporaries, Piranesi’s work had a lasting impact on neoclassical design, influencing figures like Robert Adam, Thomas Hope, and Percier. The 110 plates of the Vasi were eventually gathered into two folio volumes, with Francesco Piranesi contributing additional plates between 1779 and 1780. Their publication further cemented Piranesi’s role in shaping the perception and adaptation of antiquity in eighteenth century European decorative arts.","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Piranesi, Giovanni Battista","id":"A8740"},"association":{"text":"printmaker","id":"AAT25164"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Vincenzo Brenna","id":"A26275"},"association":{"text":"after","id":"THES283471"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Piranesi, Francesco","id":"A30837"},"association":{"text":"publisher","id":"AAT25574"},"note":"Francesco and Pietro Piranesi set up the Calcographie in Paris after having fled Rome in 1799."},{"name":{"text":"tessier","id":"AUTH339188"},"association":{"text":"bookbinder","id":"AAT25704"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"pietro piranesi","id":"AUTH406354"},"association":{"text":"publisher","id":"AAT25574"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Calcographie des Piranèse Frères, Paris","id":"AUTH406361"},"association":{"text":"publishers","id":"AAT25574"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper fiber","id":"AAT14109"},{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"}],"techniques":[{"text":"etching","id":"AAT53241"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Etching, ink on paper ","categories":[{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Archaeology","id":"THES48874"}],"styles":[{"text":"italian","id":"AAT111198"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":[],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLD","id":"THES49658"},"free":"","case":"SB23","shelf":"SH3","box":"LL/12"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Rome","id":"x29106"},"association":{"text":"first published","id":"x46563"},"note":""},{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1778","earliest":"1778-01-01","latest":"1778-12-31"},"association":{"text":"first published","id":"x46563"},"note":""},{"date":{"text":"1800-1807","earliest":"1800-01-01","latest":"1807-12-31"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"53.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"plate","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"38.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"plate","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"84.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"sheet","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"55.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"sheet","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"84.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"volume","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"57.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"volume","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"4.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"volume","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Upper right: '44'\r\n\r\nUpper center: 'Tripode antico di Bronzo che si conserva a Portici / nel Museo reale di Sua Maesta il re delle due Sicilie'\r\n\r\nLower center: 'Al Signor Cavaliere Roberto Smyth Inglese / amatore delle belle arti / In atto di ossequio il Cavaliere Gio. Batta Piranesi D.D.D.'\r\n\r\nLower left: 'Vincenzo Brenna disegnò'\r\n\r\nLower right: 'Cavalier Piranesi inc.'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"The tripod is from the Collection of the King of Naples, Portici (Naples), Italy.\r\n\r\nThe plate is dedicated <i>Al Signor Cavaliere Roberto Smyth Inglese.</i>"}],"objectHistory":"The collection of volumes was previously owned by architect Decimus Burton (1800-1881) and his bookplate is pasted in the inside cover of this volume.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"‘Bronze tripod', plate 44 from a set of 55 plates, G. Piranesi, <i>Vasi, candelabri, cippi, sarcofagi, tripodi, lucerne, ed ornamenti antichi disegnati ed incisi dal Cav. Gio. Batt. Piranesi, vol.XII</i>, bound in Paris by Tessier, 1803-1807, etching, by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Rome","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"John Wilton-Ely, Giovanni Battista Piranesi. The Complete Etchings, 2 vols., 1st ed., San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 1994","id":"AUTH405198"},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"Lettered on the spine of the volume: ‘LE / ANTICHITA’/ ROMANE / G. PIRANESI / VOL.XII’\r\n\r\nThis volume of prints was bound by Tessier bookbinders, Paris, and has their trade label pasted on the inside cover of the volume: Rue de la Harpe, Au-dessus de celle de Médecine, no. 132; Tessier/ Relieur et doureur/ De la Trésorerie nationale du Bureau/ de la Guerre/ et Calcographie piranesi/ A Paris'\r\n\r\nFrancesco and Pietro Piranesi set up the Calcographie des Piranèse Frères in Paris after having fled Rome in 1799. The Calcographie was active between 1800 and 1810.","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.4597-1908"],"accessionNumberNum":"4597","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":1908,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Istituto Centrale per la Grafica, Rome – matrix inventory number","id":"THES403866"},"number":"M-1400_550"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-12","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-30","availableToBook":false}}