Design for a Ceiling in Pompeian Style
Medium
Pen and red ink, brush and yellow, green, blue, red, and gray watercolor, over lead or graphite, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
9 5/16 x 12 1/16 in. (23.6 x 30.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1952
Accession Number
52.570.66
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 18th-century decorative arts, Giovanni Larciani—known as the "Master of the Kress Landscapescrafted this intricate *Design for a Ceiling inian Style*. Created around the mid-1700s, this drawing on cream laid paper measures just 9 5/16 x 12 1/16 inches, yet it captures the grandeur of ancient Roman interiors revived during the neoclassical era. The artwork the era's fascination with Pompeii's rediscovered frescoes, unearthed in the 1740s, which inspired architects and designers to emulate their vibrant, illusionistic schemes amid Europe's Grand Tour enthusiasm. Executed...
About the Artist
Giovanni Larciani ("Master of the Kress Landscapes") · 1700–1800
Giovanni di Lorenzo Larciani (1484–1527), a Florentine painter known initially as the "Master of the Kress Landscapes," emerged from obscurity in the mid-1990s through the scholarship of Louis Waldman, who linked him to documents including a 1521 contract for an altarpiece. Born and active in Florence until his death, Larciani specialized in religious scenes enriched by vivid, atmospheric landscap...