plate no. 9963

Remains of a covered porch, or cryptoporticus, in a villa of Domitian five miles distant from Rome on the Via Frascati

oilNeoclassicismcityscapearchitecturearchesbuildingsfigurescityscaperuins

recreation guide

This artwork, titled 'Remains of a covered porch, or cryptoporticus, in a villa of Domitian five miles distant from Rome on the Via Frascati,' is attributed to Giovanni Battista Piranesi. While Piranesi is historically renowned for his etchings and aquatints depicting Roman ruins, this specific entry lists the medium as oil and the style as Neoclassicism. Consequently, the recreation instructions must adapt traditional oil painting techniques to achieve the architectural precision and atmospheric depth characteristic of Piranesi’s vision, even though his primary output was graphic. The work falls under the genre of cityscape or topographical view, which often depicts specific places with buildings prominently featured (Source 7). The distinctive quality of such a work lies in the coherent composition of wide views, where elements are arranged to create a harmonious setting, potentially balancing detailed architectural forms with atmospheric sky or ground elements (Source 7, Source 5).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

7 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Canvas or panel sized with casein paste	Provides a stable, white ground for oil application	Pre-primed linen canvas or acrylic-gessoed panel
Charcoal or thinned paint	For initial sketching of the architectural outline	Vine charcoal or diluted raw umber
Linseed oil	Medium to thin paint and ensure 'fat over lean' layering	Refined linseed oil
Mineral spirits or turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers and cleaning brushes	Odorless mineral spirits (OMS)
Oil paints (Black, Ultramarine, White, Yellow, Red tones)	For grisaille underpainting and subsequent glazing/scumbling	Artist-grade oil paints
Painting varnish	To seal watercolor sketches or as a medium for glazing	Dammar varnish or alkyd medium
Palette knives and brushes	Application and scraping of paint layers	Standard hog bristle and synthetic brushes, stainless steel knives

preparation

surface prep

The surface should be prepared with a white ground, as a white palette and white sizing allow for correct judgment of color transparency and keep tones light (Source 3). If using canvas, it should be sized with casein paste or similar excellent size to ensure stability (Source 3). The surface must be impervious to oil to preserve the integrity of the paint film (Source 3).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1). Given Piranesi’s architectural focus, precise outlining is crucial. If the sketch is done in watercolors on the sized canvas, apply an even coat of painting varnish over it before proceeding with oil; this varnish will soak into the sizing and allow oil painting to continue even before it is fully dry, a method attributed to Paul Veronese (Source 3).

underpainting

Employ a grisaille (monochrome) underpainting technique. Mentally extract red and yellow colors to establish the tonal structure using black, ultramarine, and white, mixed with oil of copavia or a similar medium (Source 2). This monochrome layer should be allowed to dry completely before applying color glazes (Source 2). This approach aligns with the 'fat over lean' rule, ensuring the initial lean layer dries properly before subsequent oil-rich layers are added (Source 1).

color palette

Black

Ivory black or Lamp black

Grisaille underpainting and deep shadows in architectural recesses

Ultramarine

Natural or synthetic ultramarine

Cool tones in the grisaille and atmospheric sky elements

White

Lead white or Titanium white

Highlights and mixing with ultramarine/black for grisaille

Yellow tones

Yellow ochre or raw sienna

Glazing and scumbling to introduce warmth and light, particularly in sunlit stone areas

Red tones

Vermilion or red ochre

Glazing to add depth and warmth to shadows and architectural details

composition

While specific visual details of this particular oil painting are not described in the sources, Piranesi’s work generally emphasizes architectural grandeur. Compositionally, avoid exact bisections of the picture space; instead, position the horizon line to emphasize either the sky or the ground, likely showing more ground if the focus is on the cryptoporticus structure (Source 5). Create a center of interest to prevent the work from becoming a mere pattern, and use detailed areas contrasted with 'rest' areas to guide the viewer’s eye (Source 5). Ensure no spaces between objects are identical to maintain visual interest (Source 5).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the architectural forms of the cryptoporticus and surrounding landscape using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure lines are precise to reflect Piranesi’s architectural style.
Initial Sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a grisaille layer using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with a lean medium (e.g., oil of copavia or mineral spirits).
Tip — Mentally exclude red and yellow to focus on tonal values.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Then, begin glazing with transparent coats of yellow and red tones using oil.
Tip — Apply thin, transparent layers to build up color depth without obscuring the underdrawing.
Glazing

refining

step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms, particularly in shadowed areas.
Tip — Observe how the underlying painting shows through the semi-opaque layer.
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Adjust translucency, sheen, and density using additional media like cold wax or resins if needed, ensuring each layer contains more oil than the previous one.
Tip — Monitor drying times; oil paint dries by oxidation and may take up to two weeks to dry to the touch.
Fat over Lean

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final varnish to protect the painting and unify the sheen.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing to prevent cracking.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Fat over Lean

Each additional layer of paint must contain more oil than the layer below to prevent cracking and peeling. This is a basic rule of oil paint application.

Glazing

Applying transparent coats of color over a dry monochrome underpainting to build up luminosity and depth, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.

Scumbling

Using semi-opaque paint over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms, allowing the underlying layer to show through.

Simultaneous Contrast

Be aware that colors appear different when viewed next to complementary colors. Adjust tones to account for this visual phenomenon to ensure accurate color imitation.

common pitfalls

→Applying layers with less oil than the previous layer, which will cause the final painting to crack and peel (Source 1).
→Ignoring the law of simultaneous contrast, leading to dull or inaccurate color imitation due to eye fatigue and misperception of adjacent hues (Source 4, Source 6).
→Overworking the paint while it is still wet, which can soil the canvas and ruin the clarity of the initial impressions (Source 6).
→Failing to allow the grisaille underpainting to dry completely before glazing, which can mix the layers and muddy the colors (Source 2).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·The specific visual details of this particular oil painting by Piranesi are not described in the provided sources, as he is primarily known for etchings. The instructions rely on general oil painting techniques and Neoclassical conventions.
·The exact year of creation is not available, making it difficult to pinpoint specific period materials or stylistic nuances unique to that year.
·Piranesi’s specific oil painting habits are not well-documented in the sources; the guide assumes standard 18th-century oil techniques applicable to Neoclassical cityscapes.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques.
The Science of Painting↗
- CHAPTER IX. OUTLINE AND EXECUTION OF A PICTURE IN OILS — applied to Surface preparation, sizing, and initial sketching methods.
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318, 343-344 — applied to Color contrast principles and avoiding dull coloration.

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to General oil painting techniques, fat over lean rule, drying times, and tools.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 6 — applied to Compositional rules for arranging elements and guiding the viewer's eye.
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 1 — applied to Genre classification and topographical view characteristics.