The Ruins of the Pirnaischer Suburb with the Palais Fürstenhof

The Ruins of the Pirnaischer Suburb with the Palais Fürstenhof — Bernardo Bellotto. 1766.

Medium: Etching with engraving in black on ivory laid paper. Dimensions: Image: 46.8 × 63 cm (18 7/16 × 24 13/16 in.); Image platemark: 52.7 × 63.7 cm (20 3/4 × 25 1/8 in.); Text platemark: 54.2 × 64.7 cm (21 3/8 × 25 1/2 in.); Sheet: 64 × 77.2 cm (25 1/4 × 30 7/16 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Known for his majestic urban landscapes, the Venetian born Bernardo Bellotto apprenticed with the famed Canaletto, his uncle. In 1747 Augustus III, king of Poland and elector of Saxony, invited Bellotto to Dresden, where his career quickly took off. Bellotto’s 37 paintings depicting the architecture of the city were part of Augustus’s plan to make Dresden into one of the major capitals of Europe. When the Prussians invaded on the brink of the Seven Years’ War, Bellotto sought refuge and new work in Vienna. Upon returning in 1761, Bellotto found Dresden, its suburbs, and his home destroyed. This print documents his beloved city ruined by war.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.