Image

A reed pen and black ink drawing of the interior of a tavern in Pompeii. A figure peers in the doorway at the ruins of the stone vats and bar.
A reed pen and black ink drawing of the interior of a tavern in Pompeii. A figure peers in the doorway at the ruins of the stone vats and bar.
A reed pen and black ink drawing of the interior of a tavern in Pompeii. A figure peers in the doorway at the ruins of the stone vats and bar.
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Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Interior of a Tavern in Pompeii

Description

Maker

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720-1778)

Title

Interior of a Tavern in Pompeii

Year

ca. 1775

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

reed pen

Supports

Dimensions

40.8 x 53.5 cm (16 1/16 x 21 1/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Verso: inscribed in pen an ink in an 18th-century hand:"Tav. 27" and "veduta interna della Taberna situata nella Strada che conduce alla Porta della Citta' e' sta' a man sinistra prima della Casa del Chierurgo" [sic]

Stamped with collector's mark of Ludwig Hermann Philippi (1848-1908; Lugt 1335)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Henry D. Sharpe

Object Number

52.039

Type

Provenance

… - 1884, Collection of Ludwig Hermann Philippi, Hamburg, [b.1848]. Lugt 1335.

1884, Sale R. Lepke, Berlin on 05/13/1884, Lot 461.

… - 1919/1920, Albertina, Vienna.

… Collection of Gustav Nebehay, Vienna.

… Collection of Max Cassirer, Berlin.

… Collection of Dr. Kurt Cassirer, Rome and Wetherby, Yorkshire.

… - 1952, Collection of Dr. Thomas Cassirer, Providence, RI.

1952, Purchased by Mrs. Henry D. Sharpe from Dr. Thomas Cassirer.

1952, Gift to the RISD Museum from Mrs. Henry D. Sharpe on 02/05/1952.

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

Giovanni Battista Piranesi executed this strikingly bold drawing with a reed pen-a blunter, coarser tool than a quill pen. An architect and printmaker, Piranesi quickly sketched the interior of a Roman tavern on site at the recently excavated city of Pompeii, identified by an annotation on the verso. The clarity of the archaeological remains contrasts with the rough, loose marks used for the walls and background. The wiry, animated figure-there to provide a sense of scale-also heightens the sense of drama at the discovery of the well-preserved ancient interior.

Old Master Drawings
Sep 02, 1983 – Oct 16, 1983
Italian Drawings from the Museum's Collection
Mar 17, 1961 – Apr 16, 1961
The Age of Canova
Nov 06, 1957 – Dec 15, 1957
Italian Drawings of the 16th Century--18th Century, Recently Acquired
Oct 22, 1952 – Jan 06, 1953

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720-1778)
Interior of a Tavern in Pompeii, ca. 1775
Reed pen and ink on laid paper
40.8 x 53.5 cm (16 1/16 x 21 1/16 inches)
Gift of Henry D. Sharpe 52.039

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