Etching with engraving, drypoint and burnishing, circa 1747-49. 392x555 mm; 15 1/2x22 inches, wide margins. Third state (of 6). Robison's second edition, issued from 1760 to circa 1770. From the Grotteschi. A superb, early impression of this scarce etching with strong contrasts and crisp, inky plate edges.
According to Robison, "The four large, horizontal plates Piranesi called the Grotteschi depict evocative mélanges of ancient bones and artifacts associating human, cultural and architectural decay. Because of what is frequently seen as their Tiepoloesque character, the Grotteschi have long been considered Piranesi's most Venetian prints, and scholars have believed their production was closely connected with the artist's trip home to Venice (late 1740s)." Robison 23.
