Design for a Baptismal Font
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
1938-88-1423
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Barberi (1746–1809), a skilled Italian architect and designer, created this *Design for a Baptismal Font* around 1775, capturing the elegance of late 18th-century ecclesiastical architecture. Working in an era when Italy's artistic scene bridged Baroque opulence and emerging Neoclassicism, Barberi contributed to sacred furnishings that adorned churches across Rome and beyond. This architectural drawing or model reflects the meticulous planning required for functional yet ornate liturgical objects. Baptismal fonts, as vessels for the sacrament of baptism, held profound cultural and sp...