Design for a gate, for the reception of Pope Pius VI returning from Germany, in Ancona
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors
Accession Number
1901-39-2183
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Filippo Marchionni’s “Design for a gate, for the reception of Pope Pius VI returning from Germany, in Ancona” captures a moment of civic and religious celebration in May 1782. Created as an architectural proposal, the work envisions a temporary or commemorative gateway intended to welcome the pontiff back to Italian soil after his travels. Such structures were common in the eighteenth century, serving both practical and symbolic roles during papal processions by transforming ordinary streets into stages for grandeur and devotion. Marchionni, an Italian architect and designer active during the...