Piranesi, Della Magnificenza ed Architettura dei Romani, 1761
General subject of the book
Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s “Della Magnificenza e d’Architettura de’ Romani” is a contribution to the debate on whether Greek art and architecture is superior to that of Rome. In his book he pleads about Roman architectural ornaments, which he compares with concrete examples from the text “Le Roys”. Piranesi’s answer to the French critic Pierre-Jean Mariette can also be found in this book. Mariette considers Roman art to be of Greek origin.
Organization of the book
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is written alternately in Latin and Italian. In the second part examples are shown with illustrations and small explanatory text.
Size of the book
The book has a height of 560mm, a width of 425mm and a breadth of 70mm, which makes the book a “folio” in standard book sizes.
Total number of pages and total number of illustrations
The book has 150 pages and 112 Illustrations.