Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was born in Italy on 4 October 1720, trained in both architecture and archaeology. He made his name with etchings of Rome, rendering its classical remains in obsessive detail and at imposing scale. Then came the Carceri d'invenzione — imaginary prisons, atmospheric and impossible, where staircases spiral into shadow and vaulted chambers trap the eye. He had three children: Francesco, Laura, and Pietro. He died on 9 November 1778, leaving behind images of both what Rome was and what nightmares look like on copper.