The drawing is larger than the original etching – unlike a second version, which is exactly the same size (see figure 1) – but otherwise it follows the composition reasonably closely, replicating the figures, and many of the architectural details and the distribution of light.

This watercolour is based on an etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–78) that was titled Carcere Oscura con Antenna per Suplizio de’ Malfatori ( Dark Prison with a Courtyard for the Punishment of Criminals) and published in 1743 (see the source image above). Exhibitions: Museums and Galleries, Art Dealers, Auction Houses.Documents: A Year by Year Record of Dated Watercolours and Prints, Early Accounts of the Artist and His Works, Manuscript Material Relating to Sales and Collections.Collections: Where to Find Girtin’s Work.Biographies: Collectors, Dealers, Family, Fellow Artists, Patrons.Bibliography: Published and Manuscript Material Relating to Girtin and His Times.Section 5 – Later Tours and Working on the Open Market, 1800–1802.Section 4 – Country House Portraits and the Patronage of the Gentry.Section 3 – The Touring Artist and the Studio Watercolour, 1794–99.