Publisher's Synopsis
This book is about the Carceri series or imaginary prisons of Giovanni Battista Piranesi. These etchings made in the mid 17th century have fascinated viewers to the present day. There are a total of sixteen images with numerous states. The book consists of a brief biography of the artist and a review of his work. The images of the series are then seen through the eyes of historians and critics over the past two hundred and fifty years with a discussion of the changing reputation of Piranesi and his work. The Carceri series is still actively collected today and I have included a chapter on advice to collectors taken from prior curators and historians. I list a detailed auction history from 1987 to the present of sales made of the entire series as well as individual sales of each image. In an attempt to make the auction prices more relevant, I have also included current 2016 pricing equivalents for each sale. I have listed the various states for each image using both Hind and Robison with their detailed discriptions of each state. The reader will find that Hind is too superficial while Robinson is too detailed. In buying prints, collectors should be careful in determining the differences between the different states. I have used this same book format in two prior books dealing with late 19th century American landscape painters - -Three Wounded Champions of American Tonalism- and -Great but Now Forgotten- and my readers found it convenient. I list the pricing to give readers some indication of changing posthumous reputation as well as to give a general framework for current purchasers. In no event am I endorsing art as a suitable investment. I made this clear in my prior book -Art as Investment: An Anthology of Academic Research Papers from the Past One Hundred Years-. The prior auction sale pricing converted to 2016 prices is merely there to assist the buyer in helping him understand the general range of prices normally obtained for these images. A buyer should be aware when something is too high or too low. It is a small book and one that can be taken to museums, galleries and auction houses to be consulted when viewing the images. It is my hope that this book is both helpful and enjoyable.
