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Study for Différentes vues de Pesto..., Plate XIII. The Temple of Neptune from within the peristyle at the west end, looking south
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Giovanni Battista Piranesi, study for Différentes vues de Pesto..., plate XIII. SM P74. ©Sir John Soane's Museum, London. Photo: The National Gallery, London
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720 - 1778)
Study for Différentes vues de Pesto..., Plate XIII. The Temple of Neptune from within the peristyle at the west end, looking south
c.1777-78
Black chalk, pencil, brown and grey washes, pen and ink, white highlights
Museum number: P74
Not on display
Curatorial note
Soane displayed his group of 15 original Piranesi drawings for Paestum in his Picture Room, but not together. They were hung interspersed with other works: oil paintings, prints and watercolours. A number were positioned high up close to the skylights and exposed to the full effect of sunlight (Soane had blinds fitted to the lantern lights but these were removed at some point after his death). In the late 1980s the then Curator Peter Thornton placed the entire group together behind the north planes in the Picture Room, to protect them from the light. However, when the original 1837 hang was reinstated in the Picture Room in 2011-12 the decision was taken to replace all 15 drawings with facsimiles, in the original frames, in order to preserve the drawings whilst honouring Soane's wishes. This original drawing is now accessible in the Research Library at the Museum whilst the facsimile can be seen in the Picture Room.
Literature
Frances Sands, Fanciful Figures: People in Architectural Drawings [published by Sir John Soane's Museum to accompany the exhibition of the same name], 2024, p.35
Exhibition history
John Soane Architect: Master of Space and Light, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 11 September - 3 December 1999; Centro Palladio, Vicenza, April - August 2000; Hôtel de Rohan, Paris, January - April 2001; Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, 16 May - 3 September 2001; Real Academia des Bellas Artes, Madrid, October - December 2001
Piranesi's Paestum: Master Drawings Uncovered, Sir John Soane's Museum, London, 15 February - 18 May 2013; Tchoban Foundation Museum für Architekturzeichnung, Berlin, 1 June - 31 August 2013; The Morgan Library and Museum, New York, 23 January - 17 May 2015; Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, 19 August 2015 - 6 January 2016
Piranesi's Paestum: Master Drawings Uncovered, Sir John Soane's Museum, London, 15 February - 18 May 2013; Tchoban Foundation Museum für Architekturzeichnung, Berlin, 1 June - 31 August 2013; The Morgan Library and Museum, New York, 23 January - 17 May 2015; Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, 19 August 2015 - 6 January 2016
Soane collections online is being continually updated. If you wish to find out more or if you have any further information about this object please contact us: worksofart@soane.org.uk