Works and Volumes
High-resolution scans are gradually being added to the pages below. When Piranesi's images contain annotations--keys or captions on the same page or following pages--the letters or numbers in his images are highlighted and, when hovered over, a pop-up box appears with a transcription of Piranesi's annotations. In many cases, these annotations contain objective historical or architectural detail; in others, they contain discussions about the significance of art or the construction of knowledge. In his views, the annotations tend to be restricted to a single page; in his maps, though, his keys refer readers to images in other volumes. We understand these pages as part of an enhanced digital edition, which is distinct from the digital collection that reproduces, without annotation or other digital reinterpretations, the twenty-nine volumes.
Currently, Roman Antiquities (vols 1, 2), On the Magnificence and Architecture of the Romans (vol. 7), City of Paestum (vol. 15), and Views of Rome (vols. 16, 17) contain annotated pages of the views (vedute). As of Fall 2022, staff are adding, annotating, and some cases animating images from other volumes of Roman Antiquities (vols. 3, 4), Architecture and Perspective (vol. 8), Imaginary Prisons (also vol. 8), and Campus Martius (vol. 10). Annotations appear in Piranesi's original Italian (or Latin or French), and translations for the Views of Rome can be found in "Additional metadata." Brief scholarly essays on each image in the Views of Rome appear in vols. 17 and 16 as well. As the project continues, we hope to invite contributions of a similar nature on Piranesi's other works.