Design for an Altar Erected for the Holy Week

Art Historical Context

Mauro Antonio Tesi's *Design for an Altar Erect for the Holy Week*1730–66) captures the devotional fervor of 18th-century Italian Catholicism. As a prominent Bolognese artist,aver, and designer,esi specialized in ornate architecture and ornamentation, blending Baroque grandeur with emerging Rococo elegance. This preparatory drawing likely served as a blueprint for a temporary altar used during Holy Week processions—solemn rituals commemorating Christ's Passion, culminating in Easter. Such ephemeral structures, adorned with crosses, images of Jesus, and angels, transformed churches and streets into stages for dramatic religious theater. Rendered in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash on a modest 7 3/8 x 4 5/8-inch sheet, the work showcases Tesi's mastery of line and subtle tonality. The ink's precision delineates intricate architectural details, while the wash adds depth and shadow, evoking the altar's three-dimensional drama under candlelight. This technique was ideal for architectural drafts, allowing quick yet evocative visualizations for patrons or craftsmen. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1952), this piece offers a window into Italy's rich tradition of liturgical art. It reminds us how drawings like Tesi's bridged imagination and ritual, bringing heavenly scenes to earthly worshippers during one of Christianity's most poignant observances.

About the Artist

Mauro Antonio Tesi · 1730–1766

Mauro Antonio Tesi, affectionately nicknamed "Il Maurino" by his patron Francesco Algarotti, was born on January 15, 1730, in the small town of Montalbano near Modena, Italy. Largely self-taught, Tesi honed his skills as a painter, draftsman, and engraver, establishing himself in Bologna where he became a prominent figure in the late-Baroque decorative arts scene. His early career focused on archi...