Veduta del Tempio d’Iside quale oggi esiste fragli avanzi dell’antica Gittá di Pompei.

Title

Veduta del Tempio d’Iside quale oggi esiste fragli avanzi dell’antica Gittá di Pompei.

View of the Temple of Isis, which interests today among the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii. After Louis-Jean Desprez, French, 1743–1804.

c. 1788

Artist

Piranesi (1758-1810)

Francesco Piranesi was the son of the engraver and archaeologist Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Like his father, he created engravings of ancient monuments in Rome and produced the first commercial plan of Pompeii in 1785, which was revised several times. He accompanied his father on trips to ancient sites and took over the family publishing business after his father’s death. Together with the French artist Louis Jean Desprez, he worked on views of Naples, Pompeii, and Rome. Piranesi became known for his engravings of ancient statues. In 1798, he moved to France, where he served as a government official during the French Revolution’s Roman Republic. After its fall, he settled in Paris, founded the company Piranesi Frères with his brother, and faced financial difficulties. Napoleon supported him with a generous decree, but Francesco died unexpectedly before fulfilling his contract.