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Colin Holden on Piranesi's 'View of the Customs House'

Speaker(s): Dr Colin Holden

  • Date recorded: 23 Mar 2014

  • Duration: 03:27

'Piranesi treats the facade almost as though it was a theatrical backdrop, but it is a fascinating and extraordinary work in its own right'

- Dr Colin Holden

About this video

Italian 18th-century master-printmaker Giovanni Battista Piranesi was famous for his images of classical and baroque Rome. This 11-part video series reveals the details and meaning behind the figures depicted in prints featured in the Library's 2014 exhibition, Rome: Piranesi's vision.

Here, exhibition curator Dr Colin Holden provides insights into the activities of the people portrayed in Piranesi's print, Veduta della Dogana di Terra a Piazza di Pietra (View of the Customs House).

Watch the other videos in this series:

Speakers

Dr Colin Holden is a historian, curator and author. He was awarded the Redmond Barry Fellowship in 2010 to research the majestic works of 18th-century Italian printmaker Giovanni Battista Piranesi and the associated 2014 State Library exhibition, Rome: Piranesi's vision.