Carceri d'invenzione (Imaginary Prisons)
The Man on the Rack

Currently not on view

The Man on the Rack,

1761

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1720–1778; born Mogliano Veneto, Italy; died Rome, Italy; active Rome
x1938-13 b
The Venetian visionary Giovanni Battista Piranesi devoted himself to the celebration of Roman architecture throughout his career as an architect, designer, archaeologist, polemicist, and, most prolifically, printmaker. In this etching from the second edition of his celebrated and enigmatic Carceri series, Piranesi synthesizes fact and fantasy, conjuring up a dizzying stagelike setting that is embedded with portrait busts and names of some of the victims of the emperor Nero. The cavernous and cluttered imaginary space dwarfs the prisoner on the rack and his torturers—a drama observed by clusters of shadowy and diminutive onlookers, oblivious to the vista of Imperial Rome in the background.

Information

Title
The Man on the Rack
Dates

1761

Maker
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
plate: 56 x 41.5 cm. (22 1/16 x 16 5/16 in.) sheet: 65 x 49 cm. (25 9/16 x 19 5/16 in.) frame: 77.5 × 62.2 × 2.5 cm (30 1/2 × 24 1/2 × 1 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Frank Jewett Mather Jr.
Object Number
x1938-13 b
Place Made

Europe, Italy

Inscription
Numbered in plate, upper right: II Signed in plate, lower right: Piranesi F.
Marks/Labels/Seals
In graphite, lower right: 2
Reference Numbers
Focillon 25; Hind 25; Robison 43; Wilton-Ely 27
Culture
European, Italian
Type
etchings, prints
Materials
printing ink
Techniques
engraving (printing process), etching (printing process)
Subject
men, destruction, buildings, prisons, ruins, warriors, battles, figures (representations)

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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