Chimneypiece: Affronted griffons on the lintel and candelabra on the jambs (Ch. accompagnée de son plan et décorée d'une frise de griffons), from Diverse Maniere d'adornare i cammini ed ogni altra parte degli edifizi...(Different Ways of ornamenting chimneypieces and all other parts of houses) ca. 1769 Giovanni Battista Piranesi Italian Although Giovanni Battista Piranesi is best known for his capricious, often ruinous landscape compositions, architecture and interior design formed an important part of his theoretic and artistic lifes work. In 1769 he published his print series ‘Diverse Maniere (…) in which he presented designs for chimneypieces and other parts of the interior executed in Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek and Tuscan Style. The 67 etched plates in this series are preceded by an apologia by the artist in which he describes his views on contemporary design. The prints of chimneypieces play a crucial role in his argument. Because they did not exist in this form in Antiquity, to