Giambattista Piranesi (Veneza 1720-Roma,1778): Gravador, arquiteto, teórico de arquitetura e antiquário, na coleção da Biblioteca Nacional de Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Brilliant artist, who contributed so much to spreading out the myth and fascination of Rome in Europe, Giambattista Piranesi was a very unique architect and engraver, one of the greatest in the 18th century, passionate about archeology and Roman architecture, celebrated in his work as a theoretician and artist. The Biblioteca Nacional of Rio de Janeiro has a vast collection of his etchings, rich with approximately 3 thousand prints, admired internationally and scarcely known in Brazil. Unfortunately, due to the sanitary crisis and the consequent closure of public cultural spaces in 2020, the prints, which had momentarily left the cabinets and boxes, to commemorate the versatile artist's 300 years, returned to their bins without the deserved cellebrations and catalogue. This article aims to outline the general profile of the Piranesi collection present in the Biblioteca Nacional, inserted in the history of its arrival in Brazil, brought by the Portuguese Royal Family when the Court was transferred to Rio de Janeiro, in November 1807, while scapping from Napoleon.