Items Similar to Capriccio con arco (verso: study of a man)
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7
Capriccio con arco (verso: study of a man)c. 1760
c. 1760
$3,279.38
£2,428.24
€2,750
CA$4,529.59
A$4,851.19
CHF 2,607.97
MX$58,920.58
NOK 32,952.95
SEK 30,170.87
DKK 20,958.48
About the Item
Italian School, 18th century, circle of Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Capriccio con arco (verso: study of a man)
Brown ink on paper,
39 x 24.5 cm
Unsigned
Provenance:
Private collection, Italy
This pen and brown ink drawing, attributed to the circle of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778), embodies the imaginative and theatrical spirit of the capriccio—an artistic genre that blends real and invented architectural elements. A major figure of 18th-century Italy, Piranesi is best known for his engravings of ancient ruins and his Carceri d’invenzione, labyrinthine visions of monumental, dreamlike architecture. His work profoundly influenced Neoclassicism, Romanticism, and architectural imagination well into the 19th century.
The drawing presented here reveals a skilled hand, likely that of a student or close collaborator within Piranesi’s workshop. Classical architecture—fluted columns, a grand arch, decorative friezes—is rendered with expressive graphic freedom. The energetic pen work, combined with swiftly applied brown wash, creates a scene that is both dramatic and poetic. The interplay of shadow and light, along with loosely sketched foliage, anchors this imaginary setting in a late Baroque tradition.
The verso of the sheet, which contains a male figure study, supports the notion of a workshop drawing or sketchbook page, typical of academic training at the time. Such sheets served both as exercises and as preparatory work for prints or stage designs. The drawing stands out for its confident line, which, though rapid, maintains both architectural clarity and lyrical spontaneity.
A fine example of the vitality of the Italian school in the 18th century, this work belongs to the tradition of architectural capriccios that captivated the cultured circles of Europe—at a time when ancient ruins stirred the imagination and the pursuit of the sublime.
- Creation Year:c. 1760
- Dimensions:Height: 10.24 in (26 cm)Width: 15.36 in (39 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Circle Of:Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778, Italian)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2258216821912
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 2010
1stDibs seller since 2022
7 sales on 1stDibs
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Saint-Sylvestre, France
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllStudy for a fresco
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Attributed to Francesco PENNI (1488 – 1528)
Study for a fresco
Pen and brown ink, brown wash heightened with white on prepared paper
14 x 12 cm
Unsigned
On the mount, handwriting ...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
$11,925
Le Menuet
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Attributed to Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin (Paris, 1724 – 1780)
Le Menuet, circa 1765–1770
Red chalk on paper
13 3/8 x 8 1/4 in (34 x 21 cm)
Verso: black chalk and red chalk
Unsi...
Category
Late 18th Century Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Chalk, Laid Paper
$17,887
Hunting Scene
By Jan Van der Straet
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Attributed to Jan VAN DER STRAET, called Stradanus (Bruges, 1523 – Florence, 1605)
Hunting Scene
Pen and brown ink, brown wash and white heightening on prepared brown paper,
26 × 31 cm
Unsigned
Provenance
Private collection, France
This striking and highly accomplished drawing depicts a wild boar hunt in a wooded landscape, animated by numerous figures and animals. The dramatic energy of the foreground, where hounds and hunters engage the beast, is heightened by the bold use of white heightening, which models the forms and enlivens the surface. The background, structured by tall trees and populated with additional hunting scenes, lends the composition a theatrical depth.
Attributed to Jan van der Straet, known as Stradanus, this work belongs to the artistic context of Medicean Florence, where the artist developed an important body of hunting scenes intended for illustration and engraving. Influenced by Italian Renaissance models as well as his native Flemish culture, Stradanus excelled in dynamic storytelling and elegant draftsmanship.
The drawing may have been a preparatory study for one of the compositions from the celebrated Venationes Ferarum, Avium, Piscium series, engraved in Antwerp under the supervision of Philips Galle...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Animal Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
$7,751
Studies of the Galli Statue and of an Ignudo
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Florentine School, early 16th century
Studies of the Galli Statue and of an Ignudo
Pen and brown ink on laid paper
19.1 × 13 cm
Executed c. 1510–1520
Unsigned
This remarkable doub...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
Italian School, 16th Century, Study of figures
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Italian School, 16th Century
Studies of Figures
Pen and ink on paper,
23 × 24 cm
Unsigned
A finely executed sheet presenting vigorous figure studies, drawn with assured pen strok...
Category
16th Century Old Masters Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
Fauness and Putti
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Nicolas Chaperon (1612–1653/4)
Fauness and Putti
Black chalk, red chalk, wash in red chalk and grey on paper,
195 x 313 mm
Unsigned
Provenance:
Private collection
Expert opinion ...
Category
1620s Old Masters Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Chalk
You May Also Like
Dipinto Capriccio Architettonico con Figure XVIII secolo
Located in Milan, IT
Olio su tela. Scuola fiamminga del XVIII secolo.
L'opera era stata attribuita all'ambito di Hendrick Mommers (1623 -1693) in un' asta da Christie's del 1991.
Presenta un classico cap...
Category
18th Century Other Art Style Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil
Capriccio Landscape View with Figures
Located in Houston, TX
Capriccio painting in a greek or Italian style with women around a river. Capriccio is a fanciful architectural landscape painting. It was popular in Italy in the 18th Century. Most ...
Category
Late 19th Century Baroque Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache
Painted Architectural Capriccio with Figures 18th 18th Century
Located in Milan, IT
Oil on Canvas. Second half 18th century.
A portion of a large ruined architectural structure fills the entire scene: a portico topped by a balustrade, overgrown with plants, surroun...
Category
18th Century Other Art Style Interior Paintings
Materials
Oil
Grand Tour 18th Century Veduta Capriccio Painting, After Gennaro Greco
Located in Cotignac, FR
A fine, large 18th century veduta capriccio scene with temple ruins after Gennaro Greco from the circle of Pietro Cappelli. The painting is presented in a more modern carved gilt woo...
Category
18th Century Baroque Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$9,063 Sale Price
20% Off
Capriccio and characters at the water
s edge
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas
Molded frame in wood and gilded plaster
66 x 76.5 x 4 cm
Category
19th Century Italian School Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil
18th C Italian Classical Grand Tour Ancient City Old Ruins
Figures
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: The Italian City
Artist/ School: English/ Italian School, late 18th century; a Grand Tour work.
Medium: pencil drawing.
Size: 6.75 x 9.75 inches
Provenance: from a priva...
Category
Late 18th Century Old Masters Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
$661 Sale Price
20% Off









