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Etching of a vast vaulted prison with a giant wheel overhead, stone ruins, and tiny figures at lower left.

The Giant Wheel, plate 9 from Imaginary Prisons

A dense black-and-white etching of a vast prison interior with a huge circular wheel arching across the upper vault, its spokes and rim cut in fine hatched lines. Stone blocks, rubble and small figures on the lower left and right give scale to the towering architecture.

Artist
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Date
1761
Medium
Etching and engraving on heavy ivory laid paper
Source
Art Institute of Chicago
Size
1686 × 2236 px
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Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1761).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, The Wallace L. DeWolf and Joseph Brooks Fair Collections

Español: La rueda gigante, lámina 9 de Prisiones imaginarias

Un denso aguafuerte en blanco y negro de un vasto interior carcelario, con una enorme rueda circular que cruza la bóveda superior, sus radios y aro trazados con líneas finas y cruzadas. Bloques de piedra, escombros y pequeñas figuras a la izquierda inferior y a la derecha dan escala a la arquitectura imponente.

Português: A roda gigante, prancha 9 de Prisões imaginárias

Uma densa gravura em preto e branco de um vasto interior de prisão, com uma enorme roda circular que atravessa a abóbada superior, seus raios e aro traçados em linhas finas e cruzadas. Blocos de pedra, entulho e pequenas figuras no canto inferior esquerdo e direito dão escala à arquitetura imponente.