Piranesi’s Paestum: Master Drawings Uncovered

Giovanni Battista Piranesi made a number of works for his last great print project, Différentes vues de Pesto…, published posthumously in 1778. Sir John Soane bought 15 preparatory drawings from the series in 1817 and now, for the first time, these are shown together with another sheet of drawings from the series belonging to the Bibliothèque nationale, Paris. In a setting that allows for close scrutiny of the minute details, they offer a mesmerising view of the former Greek colony of Paestum and the three great Doric temples at its heart.