View through the Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii 1778 Giovanni Battista Piranesi Italian Giovanni Battista Piranesi is recognized for his vast and magnificent legacy of archaeological and topographical etchings of Rome and southern Italy. In his last years he was captivated by the antiquities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which he often drew in a rather austere manner. Piranesi made this drawing in the last months of his life. Etched at a later date by his son Francesco Piranesi, the study corresponds to a plate published in Antiquities de la Grande Grèce (Paris, 1804).. View through the Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii 459659