Design for Ceiling Decoration, a Barrel Vault
1790â1800
Classification
interiors
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-1525
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Barberi (1746–1809), an Italian architect and designer active late 18th-century Rome created this *Design for Ceiling Decoration, Barrel Vault* between 1790 and 1800. As a preparatory drawing—though the exact medium remains unidentified—it captures the meticulous planning essential to grand interior architecture. Barrel vaults, with their continuous curved arches forming a tunnel-like ceiling, have roots in ancient Roman engineering but enjoyed revivals in Renaissance and Baroque palaces, evoking grandeur and spatial drama. This work exemplifies the neoclassical era's emphasis on har...