The Temple of Isis at Pompeii, 1788. Francesco Piranesi (Italian, 1758-1810), Louis Jean Desprez (French, 1743-1804). Etching, hand-colored with watercolor; sheet: x cm (18 3/4 x 27 3/8 in.); secondary support: x cm (23 5/16 x 32 in.). Trained as a stage designer and architect, Desprez was a talented watercolorist. He collaborated with Francesco Piranesi—the son of the more celebrated printmaker Giovanni Piranesi (1720–1778)—by drawing views of Naples, Rome, and Pompeii that Piranesi etched. Desprez then completed the prints with watercolor. The scene of tourists enjoying


The Temple of Isis at Pompeii, 1788. Francesco Piranesi (Italian, 1758-1810), Louis Jean Desprez (French, 1743-1804). Etching, hand-colored with watercolor; sheet: x cm (18 3/4 x 27 3/8 in.); secondary support: x cm (23 5/16 x 32 in.). Trained as a stage designer and architect, Desprez was a talented watercolorist. He collaborated with Francesco Piranesi—the son of the more celebrated printmaker Giovanni Piranesi (1720–1778)—by drawing views of Naples, Rome, and Pompeii that Piranesi etched. Desprez then completed the prints with watercolor. The scene of tourists enjoying the ruins at Pompeii demonstrates how interest in antiquity had been augmented by the archaeological excavations at Herculaneum (1737) and Pompeii (1748). The discovery of homes, furnishings, and personal artifacts revealed the domestic aspects of ancient life.


Size: 3400px × 2470px
Photo credit: © CMA/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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