1754
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
The Well is a 1754 ink by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a chaotic, crumbling staircase packed with people and strange objects. Broken columns and arches frame the scene, while ropes and pulleys hang overhead. Shadows and light play across uneven steps, making the space feel unstable. At the bottom, a few figures gather near a well, while others climb or carry heavy loads. The artist used scratching and burnishing to create deep textures—notice how the lines look almost three-dimensional. This wasn’t just a drawing; it was built up layer by layer. Next, look up etching to see how this technique works.
Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi (Italian pronunciation: ; also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his…
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
