Giovanni Battista Piranesi

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.