The Drawing and Print Collection brings together 6,292 drawings by artists of various Italian schools, especially from the Veneto or Emilia, and many invaluable prints. In addition to the 19 volumes of the complete works of Piranesi, it includes eminent artists such as Guardi, Tiepolo, Canaletto, Piazzetta, Canova, Guercino, Carracci, the Bibiena(s) and many others.
The Institute of Art History has photographed, identified and catalogued all the works in the collection. Some of the most interesting pieces have been well known for some time, others were first brought to the attention of scholars through the Institute’s publications and exhibitions. These efforts have led to the display of a previously unknown album (donated by Vittorio Cini in honour of the Institute’s 50th anniversary in 1969) containing 325 drawings and caricatures by the Venetian artist Anton Maria Zanetti (1678 – 1767), of the work of the Gandolfi family (1987), drawings for stage sets and 16th-century drawings from Verona, as well as studies and publications that have contributed to a more thorough knowledge of the artistic and social life of 18th-century Venice.