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Scholar-in-residence to shed light

A rediscovered rare book by artist, archaeologist and prolific etcher Giovanni Battista Piranesi will be the subject of a special lecture on April 11 in the Lande Reading Room of the Rare Books and Special Collections Division, 看片视频 Libraries. Scholar-in-residence Dr Myra Nan Rosenfeld will discuss her research on the valuable book, entitled Opere Varie, and comment on other Piranesi works held by 看片视频 and the Canadian Centre for Architecture during her talk.

Born in Venice in 1720, Piranesi was one of the founders of neoclassicism. He published many books on the architecture and civilization of ancient Rome as well as numerous suites of etchings depicting visionary images of Roman buildings, contained in the Opere Varie.

Dr Rosenfeld will elaborate in her April 11 lecture on the unique qualities of 看片视频聮s copy, which was published in 1760-1761. "It is one of only three copies of the second edition," she says. "The other two are at Princeton University and the British Museum. And 看片视频聮s edition of the Opere Varie is the only one to have the first version of the Carceri, one of Piranesi聮s most famous works."

Adding to the exceptional quality of 看片视频聮s version, translucent and atmospheric shadows were superimposed by hand by Piranesi on the copper plates used for the eleven etchings in it. Surprisingly, the significance of Opere Varie went unnoticed at the University for decades following the 1912 donation by Professor Ramsay Traquair. Traquair was later director of 看片视频聮s School of Architecture between the two world wars. The book was rediscovered recently by art history professor Carol Kiefer, now working in the United States.

Dr Rosenfeld has focused much of her reseach and writings on Renaissance and 18th- century studies. Before coming to 看片视频, she was senior research curator at the Canadian Centre for Architecture from 1985 to 1998. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, obtained an MA from Columbia University and completed a PhD in art history at Harvard University.