Etching · Giovanni Battista Piranesi · Second edition, 1761 (first issued circa 1750)
Piranesi, Carceri d'Invenzione title plate (1761)
This print is the title plate of Giovanni Battista Piranesi's Carceri d'Invenzione (Imaginary Prisons), a set of sixteen etchings of vast, impossible prison interiors, in the reworked second edition he published in Rome in 1761. Piranesi died in 1778 and the etchings are in the public domain.
History
Piranesi, a Venetian trained as an architect and stage designer, made his living in Rome etching views of the city's ruins. The Carceri began around 1749–50 as fourteen lightly bitten plates of staircases, bridges and vaults that go nowhere, published by the dealer Bouchard. In 1761 he took the plates back, darkened and deepened them, added two new ones and reissued the set under his own imprint with the title that reads 'Carceri d'Invenzione di G. Battista Piranesi archit. vene.'
The prisons had little success in his lifetime but became, for the Romantics, a model of the sublime: De Quincey described them, Coleridge admired them, and they stand behind Escher's impossible architecture and a good deal of film design. Complete sets of both editions are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which publishes them under an open licence.
What the print shows
A cavernous vaulted hall seen from below: a great stone pier carries the title on a hanging slab, chains and a lantern swing from the beams, ramps and timber bridges cross the space at several heights, and tiny figures stand on the balustrades. The plate is etched in dense cross-hatching that goes from bright paper to near-black. The print is vertical, close to 4 : 5, and includes the plate's margin.
Source and licence
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Open Access).
Licence: Public domain. The artist died in 1778; museum impressions of the Carceri are published under Creative Commons Zero (CC0), so the image may be reproduced freely.
Reproduced from a high-resolution public-domain scan of a second-edition impression.
Available sizes and prices
Print: paper or framed Etsy listing 4548820009
| Size | Paper | Framed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 12 in (21 × 30 cm) | $29.99 | $98.99 |
| 12 × 18 in (30 × 45 cm) | $44.99 | $137.99 |
Printed to order, shipped in 2–5 business days, free US shipping. Paper: matte fine-art paper. Framed: real wood (black, white, wood, dark wood), shatterproof acrylic, ready to hang.
Buy
- Giovanni Battista Piranesi Carceri d'Invenzione 1761 (print: paper or framed): buy on Etsy, from $29.99.
Frequently asked questions
- What are Piranesi's Carceri?
- A series of sixteen etchings of imaginary prison interiors, first issued around 1750 and reworked in 1761. They are architectural fantasies, not drawings of real buildings.
- What is the difference between the two editions?
- The 1761 second edition is darker and more detailed, with heavier shadows, added figures and machinery, and two extra plates. This print reproduces the second-edition title plate.
- Why are the Carceri so influential?
- Their scale, gloom and impossible structures made them a touchstone of the Romantic sublime and of later set and game design, from Escher to film.
- What sizes is the print available in?
- An A4 poster (listed as 8 by 12) and 12 by 18 inches, unframed or in a real-wood frame. The prices are listed on this page.
Sources
Published 20 Oct 2026; prices are the live Etsy prices as of 20 Oct 2026. The work is public domain; this page's text is © ThinkDotCo and may be quoted with a link.