Candelabra Designs and Stair Railing Designs, nos. CCCXCV–CCCXCVII and 398–400, plate 60 from "Designs for Various Ornaments"
April 1, 1792
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 17 13/16 × 11 5/16 in. (45.2 × 28.8 cm) Sheet: 19 13/16 × 13 15/16 in. (50.3 × 35.4 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008
Accession Number
2018.839.44
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of late 18th-century ornamentation with this etching by Michelangelo Pergolesi, an Italian artist who flourished in London during the Neo-classical revival. Titled *Candelabra Designs and Stair Railing Designs, nos. CCCXCV–CCCXCVII and 398–400*, this plate (no. 60) from his 1792 publication *Designs for Various Ornaments* captures intricate motifs dated April 1, 1792. Measuring a substantial 17 13/16 × 11 5/16 inches on the plate, it exemplifies the period's passion for classical-inspired grandeur, blending scrolling foliage, urns, and mythical elements into harmoni...
About the Artist
Michelangelo Pergolesi · 1760–1801
Michelangelo Pergolesi (1760–1801) was an Italian decorative artist, draughtsman, engraver, and designer whose career bridged Rome and London, profoundly influencing neoclassical interiors during the late 18th century. Little is known of his early life or formal training, with biographical details sparsely documented. Likely inspired by classical antiquity and the era's archaeological fervor, incl...