Keywords

• The aim of this paper is to analyse the activities carried out in France by Giovanni Battista Piranesi's two sons &ndash
• from the relocation of their Calcografia from Rome to Paris in 1799 to the death
• in 1810
• of Francesco
• who had been the chief continuator of his father's work &ndash
• with a special focus on the cultural atmosphere of the French capital during their stay. Thanks to the richness of their legacy
• the French Government's protection and the fruitful support of their many contacts with artists
• intellectuals and politicians
• the Piranesi brothers were able to take advantage of the opportunities Paris offered them. Along with the publication of the OEuvres de Jean-Baptiste et de François they devoted themselves to new projects that
• on the one hand
• had a didactic purpose
• such as the institution of an Académie de Beaux Arts and
• on the other hand
• implied the adaptation of the engraving technique to the new market needs
• as shown in the production of the Dessins coloriés and in the establishment of a factory at Mortefontaine for the production of terracotta vases and architectural ornaments
• that eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Piranesi's business in France