Egyptian Obelisk (Obelisco Egizio)
Not on Display
A sight to behold, Piranesi’s rendering is of this Egyptian Obelisk, the Lateran Obelisk, which took a journey across the Mediterranean to stand where it does today. Originally erected in Egypt by Pharaoh Thutmose IV in 14th century BCE, the obelisk made its journey to Rome under the rule of Constantius II in the 4th century CE, inherently binding the cultures together. Years broke the obelisk down, but Pope Sixtus V ordered its excavation and reconstruction in the 16th century, adding a cross to the top and a new base. Standing in the center of the composition, the structure commands the attention of the viewer, and Piranesi highlights the hieroglyphs on the side, exhibiting the grandiosity. Inscribed upon its sides, hieroglyphs memorialize the lives of Thutmose III and Thutmose IV.
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Series:
Views of Rome (Vedute di Roma), Part I
Artist/Maker:
Geography:
Europe; Italy
Culture:
Italian
Medium:
Etching on laid paper
Collection:
GW Collection
Accession Number:
CGA.68.26.535
Credit Line:
Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Bequest of Frank B. Bristow)
Date:
1759
Keywords:
Architecture; Exterior View; Classicism; Monuments; Fantasy; 18th Century
Copyright:
Public domain
Object Type:
Print
Dimensions:
Sheet/Page 61.12 H x 46.36 W cm (24 1/16 H x 18 1/4 W in)
Platemark 54.93 H x 40.80 W cm (21 5/8 H x 16 1/16 W in)
Image 53.66 H x 40.32 W cm (21 1/8 H x 15 7/8 W in)
Structure:
etching
Provenance:
Frank B. Bristow [1885-1968], Virginia, 1968; Bequest to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1968-2018; Gift to the George Washington University, Washington, DC, 2018.
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Bibliography:
Arthur M. Hind (Author), Giovanni Battista Piranesi: A Critical Study, with a List of His Published Works and Detailed Catalogues of the Prisons and the Views of Rome, Da Capo Press, New York, 1967, ©1922
Henri Focillon (Author), Giovanni-Battista Piranesi: Essai de Catalogue Raisonné de Son Oeuvre, Librairie Renouard, Henri Laurens, Paris, 1918
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Exhibition History:
Spring Selections: Remember, Recall, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Olivia Kohler-Maga, January 18, 2022 - April 01, 2022
Piranesi's Rome: Views of the Eternal City, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Olivia Kohler-Maga, September 04, 2024 - December 07, 2024
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