Design for a Ceiling Decoration (recto); Daphne Pursued by Apollo (verso)
1680–1744
Medium
Pen and brown ink, over black chalk (recto); black chalk (verso)
Dimensions
12-3/8 x 8-9/16 in. (31.5 x 21.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Curtis O. Baer, 1971
Accession Number
1971.50
Tags
Art Historical Context
Lorenzo de' Ferrari, a leading Genoese artist of the late Baroque era (active ca. 1680–1744), created this exquisite double-sided drawing as a preparatory design for grand architectural interiors. The recto features an ornate *Design for a Ceiling Decoration*, showcasing intricate motifs suited for the opulent palaces and churches of 18th-century Italy. Flipping to the verso reveals a dynamic rendition of *Daphne Pursued by Apollo*, drawn from Ovid's *Metoses*—a timeless tale of unrequited love where the nymph Daphne transforms into a laurel tree to escape the god's advances. Crafted with pen...