Design for One Half of a Ceiling with Medaillons with Figure Sketches Inside (recto); Design for an Interior Wall Elevation (verso)
18th century
Medium
Black chalk or graphite with ruled and compass construction
Dimensions
14-1/8 x 16 in. (35.9 x 40.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1965
Accession Number
65.653.77
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 18th-century European interiors, Leonardo Marini's *Design for One Half of a Ceiling withaillons with Figure Sk Inside (recto); Design for an Interior Wall (verso)* captures meticulous planning behind grand decorative schemes. Created using black chalk or graphite on a sheet measuring 14-1/8 x 16 inches, this drawing exemplifies the era's fascination with symmetrical ornamentation, likely intended for palaces or ecclesiastical spaces where elaborate ceilings and walls blended architecture with artistry. The recto features a ceiling half-design adorned with circular med...
About the Artist
Leonardo Marini · 1730–1797
Leonardo Marini (1730–1797) was an Italian sculptor who worked principally in Rome during the later decades of the eighteenth century, contributing to the rich culture of sculptural production that flourished in the city during the age of Neoclassicism. Born in 1730, Marini trained within the Roman tradition of marble carving and decorative sculpture, absorbing the technical standards demanded by ...