Design for the Decoration of an Arched Ceiling
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, washed and tinted
Dimensions
22 x 28 in. (55.9 x 71.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
Accession Number
80.3.647
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite anonymous drawing from 17th-century Italy, titled *Design for the Decoration of Arched Ceiling*, offers a glimpse into the grandeur of Baroque-era interiors. Created as a preparatory sketch for ornate vaulted spaces—likely in palaces, churches, or villas—it showcases intricate ornamental motifs suited to curved architectural surfaces. At 22 x 28 inches, its scale suggests it was intended for detailed study by artisans, reflecting Italy's tradition of lavish decorative schemes during a time when artists and architects collaborated to create illusionistic heavens overhead. Render...