Pier table, c. 1768, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Italian (Rome), Italian, 1720-1778, 35 1/2 x 59 x 29 1/4 in. (90.17 x 149.86 x 74.3 cm), Oak, limewood, marble, gilt, Italy, 18th century, This is one of the few pieces of Giovanni Piranesis furniture to survive. The versatile Piranesi was a printmaker, archaeologist, architect, and designer. His numerous etchings of Roman ruins contributed greatly to 18th-century Europes interest in the ancient world. In 1769 he published Diverse Manners of Ornamenting Chimneys and All Other Parts of Houses, a collection of imaginative designs for clocks, vases, chimneypieces, and even coaches.