Design for Elevation for Elaborate Wall and Vault with the Savoya Arms
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush with gray wash and watercolor, over leadpoint or graphite, with ruled and compass construction. Scale, at bottom, in pen and brown ink. Framing outlines in pen and dark brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 20 1/4 x 16 7/8 in. (51.5 x 42.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Leon Dalva Sr., 1965
Accession Number
65.654.29
Art Historical Context
This exquisite anonymous drawing from 18th-century Piedmont, Italy, presents a *Design for Elevation for Elate Wall and Vault with Savoya Arms*. Created between 1700 and 1780, it captures the grandeur of Baroque-era architecture, likely intended for a noble palace or ecclesiastical space under the patronage of the House of Savoyrulers of Piedmont and Sardinia. The inclusion of the Savoya (oy) arms underscores its heraldic purpose, symbolizing prestige and dynastic pride in an age when opulent interiors reflected political power. Executed with meticulous precision, the sheet employs pen and br...