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The Digital Piranesi

Plan of the Upper Floor of the Palace of the Caesars, believed to the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill

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Plan of the Upper Floor of the Palace of the Caesars, believed to the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill Pianta del Piano Superiore della parte del Palazzo de Cesari creduta l’abitazione d’Augusto sul Monte Palatino, il piano inferiore del quale era destinato per Terme o Bagni.; A. Siti corrispondenti sull’Atrio che era avanti la Casa. B. Gran sale sul dinnanzi dell’Edifizio ornate di nicchie alternativamente rettilinee, e curvilinee per tutto il giro delle pareti. C. Sito per quale dall’Atrio si passava al Tablino. D. Tablino. E. Sala di communicazione a due parti consimili della Casa, una delle quali poteva essere abitava da Livia, e l’altra da Augusto. F. Sale nobili ornate di Emicicli, e con graticcie di marmo nel mezzo, le quali davano lume all’altre sale nobili sottoposte. G. Antisale. H. Retrostanze di communicazione coll’antisale e sale sudette. I. Anditi con porte di communicazione alle dette sale e retrocammere. K. Gabinetti ottagoni. L. Ale di portici corrispondenti sopra due piccioli Cavedj di communicatione con le scale che discendono al secondo piano destinato per uso de Bagni. M. Atrio avanti la scala. N. Scale di communicazione col piano inferiore destinato per uso dei Bagni. O. Peristilio che nel piano inferiore era circondato da’ quattro ale di portici, e nel superiore solamente da due logge o gallerie segnate aa. P. Terrazzi corrispondenti sopra l’altre due ale dei portici del piano inferiore. Q. Conclavi per uso di abitazioni ed altro. R. Atrio nobile che in questo piano era ornato di pilastri, e communicava col piano superiore del sito curvilineo che sovrastava al Circo Massimo, e poteva essere il Podio Imperiale. S. Gallerie. T. Cavedi, o piccoli cortili pensili con fontane nel mezzo, in uno de quali fu’ trovato il condotto di piombo. V. Siti nobili di forma circolare in uno de quali fu’ trovato qualche frammento di Statua. X. Aditi di communicazione fra le gallerie, li cavedi, e li siti sud(ett)i. Y. Muri curvilinei ed altre stanze annesse che sovrastano al Circo Massimo erroneamente creduti parte del Teatro di Statilio Tauro, questi servivano di sustruzione ad un nobilissimo Podio o Tribuna imminente al Circo che aveva communicazione col descritto edifizio, ed era probabilmente il Podio dell’Imperatore. Z. Cortili minori esterni recinti di muro. bb. Ippodromo con indizio certo di portici all’intorno formati da due ordini di colonne. cc. Piano superiore delli detti portici che girano all’intorno dell’Ippodromo. dd. Siti nobili appartenenti all’Ippodromo. Si avverte che la tinta oscura dinota la fabrica che ancora esiste, o che resta al paro del piano di sotto, la seconda tinta un poco men carica quello che in questo piano è stato scoperto e che in parte esiste, la tinta più chiara dinota quello che e stato supp(li)to.; Cav(alier) Francesco Piranesi del(ineò) e inc(ise) 1787. Plan of the Upper Floor of the Palace of the Caesars, believed to the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill. The lower floor was intended for Thermal Baths, or Washrooms.; A. Areas corresponding to the Atrium in front of the House. B. Great halls at the front of the Building, ornamented with alternating rectilinear and curvilinear niches for the entire perimeter of the walls. C. Area that passed from the Atrium to the Tablinum. D. Tablinum. E. Corridor in two similar areas of the House. One area could have been inhabited by Livia, and the other by Augustus. F. Noble Halls embellished with Hemicycles that had marble latticework at the center. This illuminated the other noble halls below. G. Antechambers. H. Storerooms with access to the antechamber and aforementioned halls. I. Corridors with doors leading to the aforementioned halls and storerooms. K. Octagonal washroom. L. Wings of corresponding porticoes above two small courtyards that give access to the stairs that descend to the second floor intended for the use of the Baths. M. Atrium in front of the stairs. N. Stairs that access the lower floor intended for use of the Baths. O. Peristyle on the lower floor that was surrounded by four wings of porticoes, and on the upper floor by only two loggias and galleries labeled a.a. P. Terraces above the other two wings of porticoes of the lower floor. Q. Closed rooms for habitation and other uses. R. Noble Atrium ornamented with pilasters, and which, from this floor, accessed the upper level at the curved area above the Circus Maximus, and could have been the Imperial Podium. S. Galleries. T. Cavaedia, or small elevated courtyards with fountains in the center, in one of which a lead water conduit was found. V. Circular noble rooms, in one of which a fragment of a Statue was found. X. Entrances that form corridors between the galleries, the cavaedia, and the aforementioned areas. Y. Curved walls and other annexed rooms above the Circus Maximus, erroneously believed to be part of the Theater of Statilius Taurus. These walls served to support the foundations of a most noble Podium or Tribune above the Circus that accessed the described edifice. This was probably the Podium of the Emperor. Z. Minor exterior courtyards surrounded by walls. bb. Hippodrome with conclusive evidence of surrounding porticoes formed by two floors of columns. cc. Upper floor of said porticoes that surround the Hippodrome. dd. Noble areas belonging to the Hippodrome. One should note that the darker ink indicates the extant building on the same level of the lower floor, and the second slightly lighter ink indicates what was discovered on this floor, which still partially exists, and the lighter ink indicates what has been reconstructed.; Drawn and engraved by the Cavalier Francesco Piranesi. 1787.
With its large scale, rectilinear arrangement, and single image, this architectural plan of what was believed to be the residence of Augustus is quite visually distinct from the preceding prints. In those images, plans are juxtaposed with other elements: vedute, cross-sections, medals, and illusionistic depictions of stone or paper. In this and the image that follows in the Didot edition, Giovanni Battista’s son Francesco expands on the material content of his father’s archaeological studies, but he eschews their aesthetic or illusionistic elements. These two plans were first added to the second, posthumous edition of Le Antichità Romane that was published in 1784, and they were included again in the Didot edition of Piranesi’s works in the 1830s. Annexed to the first volume of Le Antichità Romane, they demonstrate Piranesi’s inspiration for further archaeological study and call attention to the uncommon features of his approach to the genre of the architectural plan.

The subject of this and the following plan is the Domus Augustana or Domus Augusti, a sprawling palace on the Palatine Hill, which began to be excavated in the eighteenth century. Francesco zooms in on this expansive structure, labelling each interior space, and including extensive annotations that provide details about residential spaces and architectural features, such as a room where fragments of a statue were found. He also describes his method of visualization, which adds a third element to the method his father, and other antiquarian illustrators, were using. Francesco specifies that the blackest tint of ink indicates extant remains, the lighter tint indicates discoveries of partially extant remains, and the lightest tint indicates reconstructions. In the following image, which also foregoes creative artistry in favor of clarity and information, Francesco’s close-up on this structure moves to the lower floor. (JB)