Piranesi (TASCHEN Icons Series) [Paperback]

Luigi Ficacci (Author)

Book Description

Series: Icons | Publication Date: March 15, 2001

If you found our volume Piranesi: The Complete Etchings overwhelming in its scope and magnitude, you'll appreciate this new, abbreviated version. Faithfully summarizing his entire oeuvre, this is a wonderful introduction to the great architectural master etcher. Includes 168 of his best plates.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As savage as Salvator Rosa, fierce as Michelangelo, and exuberant as Rubens." -- Horace Walpole "Piranesi was as savage as Salvator Rosa, fierce as Michelangelo, and exuberant as Rubens... he has imagined scenes that would startle geometry and exhaust the Indies to realize." -- Horace Walpole "An artistic homage to a genius." -- Frankfurter Rundschau" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

The author:
Luigi Ficacci studied Art History in Rome under Giulio Carlo Argan. He is curator at the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica in Rome and lectures at different Italian universities. The focal points of his research work are the issues raised by 17th and 18th century and contemporary Italian art.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; Bilingual edition (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822855308
• ISBN-13: 978-3822855300
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Printmaking
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Art > Art History > Themes
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing edition, December 20, 2011

By 

Inverse Outburst (Substation 4, Moon:Galatea, Planet:Neptune) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Piranesi (25) (Hardcover)

It always pains me to write a negative review of something. I imagine it is so with most, as buying an item that falls below your expectation is never a good experience. Here, it is doubly so, as books of this type are very dear to me, and I am a big fan of Taschen, both as a publisher of works that would otherwise never see printing again as well as the great quality of many of their books. However, even the best have flaws and Taschen can miss the mark, as they have here.

My main complaints are that the quality of the paper is quite low, the printing is not that great( the books also smell terribly of chemicals ), and for a subject such as this, exquisitely detailed engravings by an undisputed Master, most are far too small and thus, loss of detail is inevitable.

If you are interested enough in such things as antique engravings, and particularly so the fine works of Piranesi, you are likely a serious collector of books. Therefore, the price of a superior edition may not seem terrible. That edition is Piranesi: The Complete Etchings by John Wilton-Ely and Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1992, Hardcover). Amazon has it by some sellers for $400+ but you can find it cheaper with some searching ( I acquired a copy for $300, still not pennies, but for very quality books this is a good price ).

The copy I have that I review poorly here is getting donated to the local library.

Finally, I will say again, I hate writing a poor review. But, I'll counter it by saying that many of the Taschen XL series are wonderful, quality books well worth the price here at Amazon.