Cresting of a frame
1780â1790
Medium
architecture
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-1878
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Cresting of a** *Giuseppe Barberi (, 1746–1809), 1780–1790* Crafted by the esteemed Italian architect Giuseppe Barberi the late 18th, this *Cresting of a* exemplifies the ornate architectural details that adorned grand interiors of the Neoclassical era. Barberi, active in Rome amid a revival of ancient Roman forms, specialized in precise, elegant designs that blended classical symmetry with refined decoration. As an architectural element, the cresting likely served as a decorative ridge or finial atop a picture frame, mirror, or doorway, enhancing the grandeur of palatial spaces. Datin...