Giovanni Battista Piranesi  (1720 – 1778) was a major Italian printmaker, architect and antiquarian. This intaglio, The Pier with a Lamp, is number 15 of 16, in a series called Imaginary Prisons.

The work came in with a crease, where it had been folded to fit within its frame. Foxing and stains from wood-acid were lifted by chemical baths; and the brittle, cracking portions were strengthened with a conditioner.