Design for an architectural structure
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
1938-88-1200
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Barberi (1746–1809), a prominent Italian architect and designer active in Rome during the late Enlightenment, created this *Design for an Architectural Structure* around 1790. Working in the neoclassical era, Barberi was renowned for his precise, elegant drawings that blended ancient Roman grandeur with contemporary functionality. This piece, classified as architecture within the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, exemplifies the preparatory sketches that architects used to propose grand public or ecclesiastical buildings, showcasing Barberi's mastery of proportion and orna...