Building with staircases 1. 
 

Building with staircases 2. 
 

Biography

Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric "prisons" (Carceri d'invenzione). He was the father of Francesco Piranesi, Laura Piranesi and Pietro Piranesi.

From 1740, Piranesi had an opportunity to work in Rome as a draughtsman for Marco Foscarini, the Venetian ambassador (and future Doge of Venice) to the new Pope Benedict XIV. He resided in the Palazzo Venezia and studied under Giuseppe Vasi, who introduced him to the art of etching and engraving of the city and its monuments. Giuseppe Vasi found Piranesi's talent was much greater than that of a mere engraver. According to Legrand, Vasi told Piranesi that "you are too much of a painter, my friend, to be an engraver."