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The Digital Piranesi

Writing

Piranesi's visual images are teeming with written texts. Ancient inscriptions and his own annotations call attention to relationships between word and image, materiality and history, and evidence and imagination. Our essays often emphasize Piranesi’s role as a writer and an artist.

Contents of this tag:

[Translation]: [upper left] TO THE SABINE PEOPLES. WHO WILL WITHSTAND [THEM]? THE ROMAN SENATE AND PEOPLE; [middle left] GNAEUS POMPEIUS, SON OF POMPEIUS, MAGNUS, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, HAVING COMPLETED A THIRTY YEARS’ WAR, ROUTED, SCATTERED, SLAIN, OR RECEIVED THE SURRENDER OF 12,183,000 PEOPLE, SUNKEN OR TAKEN 846 SHIPS, RECEIVED THE CAPITULATION OF 1,538 TOWNS AND FORTS, SUBDUED THE LANDS FROM THE MAEOTIANS TO THE RED SEA, DULY DEDICATES HIS OFFERING VOWED TO MINERVA; [lower left] TO ROME AND AUGUSTUS CAESAR, SON OF THE DEIFIED ONE AND FATHER OF THE FATHERLAND; [lower right] PIRANESI DESIGNED AND ENGRAVED (Campbell, 579) [upper left] SABINIS POPVLIS QVIS RESISTET SPQR; [middle left] CN POMPEIVS CN MAGNVS / IMP[ERATOR] / BELLO . XXX ANNORVM CONFECTO / FVSIS. FVGATIS. OCCISIS. IN. DEDITIONEM / ACCEPTIS. HOMINVM. CENTIE[N]S. VICIE[N]S / SEMEL. CENTENIS LXXXIII / DEPRESSIS AVT CAPT [IS] NAVIBVS DCCCXLVI / OPPIDIS CASTELIS MDXXXVIII / IN FIDEM RECEPTIS / TERRIS A MAEOTIS AD RVBRVM / MARE SVBACTIS / VOTVM MERITO MINERVÆ; [lower left] ROMAE ET AVGVSTO / CAESARI DIV F[ILIO] PAT[RI] PATRIAE; [lower right] PIRANESI INV INCI
Title: Veduta del tempio della Sibilla in Tivoli Key: Volgarmente così si chiama. Alcuni han pensato, che fosse d’Ercole; ma il Cluverio nel libro 3. de Italia antiqua suppone che fosse di Tiburno per quelle parole di Stazio nel libro 1. delle Selve…. illa recubat Tiburnus in umbra; illic sulphureos cupit Albula mergere crines. Sul fregio di esso leggesi questa tronca iscrizione….. F.L.GELLIO.L.F. Abbiamo due Lucj Gellj figliuoli di Lucio. Consoli l’uno l’anno di Roma DCXXCI, l’altro l’anno DCCXVII, l’uno di essi forse fece o ristaurò questo tempio. 2 Altro tempio antico, oggi di San Giorgio. Anche questo, per que’ versi di Stazio potrebbe dirsi della Dea Albunea….. illa Tiburnus in umbra, illic Albula. Signature: Pressa l’Autore a Strada Felice nel Palazzo Tomati vicino alla Trinità de monti. Signature 2: Piranesi Fec(it). Title: View of the Temple of the Sibyl in Tivoli. Key: Commonly called by this name. Some have thought that the Temple was of Hercules; but Clüver in Book 3 of Italia Antiqua suggests that it was of Tiburnus because of those words by Statius in Book 1 of the Silvae... illa recubat Tiburnus in umbra; illic sulphureos cupit Albula mergere crines [here Tiburnus lies in this shade; here Albula wishes to wash her sulphurous hair]...on the frieze of this one reads this cut off inscription...F.L.GELLIO.L.F. We have two Lucius Gelliuses, son of Lucius. Both consuls, one in the year of Roma DCXXCI, the other in the year DCCXVII, one of them perhaps built or restored this temple. 2 Another ancient temple, now San Giorgio. Even this temple, for those verses of Statius, one could say that it is of the Goddess Albunea...here Tibur in the shade, here Albula. Signature: Published by the Author in the Strada Felice in Palazzo Tomati near Trinità de Monti. Signature 2: Made by Piranesi.
Title and Description: Veduta della fonte e delle Spelonche d’Egeria fuor della porta Capena or di San Sebastiano. Hic ubi nocturnæ Numa constituebat amicæ Nemus et delubra. Così Giovenal nella Satire 3. ove pur dice: In vallem Egeriæ descendimus et speluncas Dissimiles veris; quanto praestantius esset Numen aquæ viridi si margine clauderet umbras Herba, nec ingenuum violarent marmora tophum *Tempio di Bacco, or di Sant' Urbano. Signature: Cavalier Piranesi F(ecit) Title and Description: View of the fountain and the Grotto of Egeria outside the Porta Capena, now San Sebastiano. “At the place where Numa used to meet his sweetheart at nightime.” So Juvenal writes in Book 3 of the Satires, where he also says: “We wander down the hill to Egeria’s valley and a grotto unlike the real thing. How much more palpably present the fountain’s spirit would be, if a grassy border surrounded the water, and no marble profaned the native tufa!” *Temple of Bacchus, now Sant’Urbano. Signature: Made by the Knight Piranesi.
Title: Veduta del Monumento eretto dall’Imperadore Tito Vespasiano per aver ristaurati gl’Aquedotti dell’Acque dell'Aniene nuovo e Claudia essendovi scolpito in esso il nome, di Claudio, che lo edificò, e di Vespasiano che lo restaurò. Key: 1. Aquedotto di Sisto V. che conduce l’Acqua felice. 2. Forami fatti per introdurvi l’Aquedotto sopradetto 3. Porte di Aureliano, o siano di Arcadio, ed Onorio fabbricate sopra varie macerie che in quel tempo coprivano l’antico piano di Roma. 4. Via Labicana 5. Via Prenestina. Signature: Cavalier Piranesi F(ecit). Title: View of the Monument Erected by the Emperor Titus Vespasian Commemorating His Restoration of the Aqueducts of the Anio and Claudia, having been carved on the monument the name Claudio, who had built it, and Vespasian who had restored it. Key: 1. Aqueduct of Sixtus V that conducts the water of the Acqua Felice. 2. Channels built to introduce the water of the Aqueduct mentioned above 3. Gates of Aurelian, or of Arcadius, and Honorius built above various pieces of rock that at that time covered the ancient ground level of Rome 4. Via Labicana 5. Via Prenestina. Signature: Made by the Knight Piranesi.