architecture

GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI (1720-1778)

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The Villa d’Este, Tivoli Rome, 1773 Etching This engraving is from a series entitled Views of Rome. In this etching, Piranesi depicted the impressive gardens of the Villa d’Este in Tivoli, originally built for Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este (1509-1572).  The inclusion of tiny figures on the steps emphasises the scale of the grounds. The garden … Read more

OUR HISTORY

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Our Founders The Barber Institute of Fine Arts owes its existence to the vision of Lady Martha Constance Hattie Barber (1869–1933) — pictured (right) in a portrait by James Jebusa Shannon [1912]. Lady Barber was the daughter of a wealthy Worcestershire businessman, Simon Onions, who, after an education at Cheltenham Ladies College married the Birmingham … Read more