Cinerary vase you see over the front door of the Palace of the Villa Panphili 

This etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi depicts a cinerary vase, supposedly of ancient origin, that sits over the front door of the Villa Panphili in Rome. Piranesi was fascinated by the material culture of the past, particularly stonework and the skilled labor required to produce it. Here, he meticulously renders the vase’s form, accentuating its dense, carved details. We see the leaves, the birds, the solemn faces, and atop the lid a lion’s head flanked by two watchful dogs. The act of etching itself mirrors the slow, careful work of a stone carver. Piranesi painstakingly created this image through layering of labor: drawing, etching, and printing. The result is a testament to the enduring power of craft traditions, and a meditation on the relationship between the artist, the artisan, and the enduring legacy of ancient Rome.