Design for the Overmantel of a Chimneypiece with Bust of Pompilius Numa
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink with brush and green wash, over graphite, on ivory laid paper, tipped onto ivory wove paper
Dimensions
14.7 × 8.2 cm (5 13/16 × 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
85989
Art Historical Context
James Thornhill's *Design for the Overmant of a Chimneypiece with Bust of Pompiliusuma* is a delicate preparatory drawing from the early 18th century, showcasing the artist's mastery in English Baroque design. Thornhill (1675–1734), Britain's first native history painter knighted for his work, was renowned for grand decorative schemes like those at the Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral and Greenwich. This small-scale sketch (just 14.7 × 8.2 cm) served as a blueprint for an ornate chimneypiece overmantel—a decorative panel above a fireplace—featuring the bust of Numa Pompilius, Rome's legendary seco...