Elevation of a Catafalque with a royal Crown surmounting the Casket
1696–1756
Medium
Pen, brown ink and gray wash
Dimensions
20-3/8 x 14-1/4 in. (51.8 x 36.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Bequest of Joseph H. Durkee, by exchange, 1972
Accession Number
1972.713.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Galli Bibiena (1696–1756), a master of Baroque scenography from the illustrious Bibiena family of Italian architects and designers, created this intricate drawing as a design for a grand *Elevation of a Catafalque with a royal Crown suring the Casket*.ed in pen, brown ink, and gray wash the 20-3/8 x 14-1/4-inch sheet captures a monumental funerary structure—likely intended for a royal or noble ceremony—adorned with architectural flourishes, draped fabrics, and mourning human figures. The royal crown atop the casket symbolizes imperial mourning, evoking the theatrical pomp of 18th-cent...
About the Artist
Giuseppe Galli Bibiena
Giuseppe Galli Bibiena was born on January 5, 1696, in Parma, into what would become the most celebrated dynasty of theatrical designers in Baroque Europe. He was the second son of Ferdinando Galli Bibiena, who was himself a transformative figure in stage design and the originator of the family's defining innovation: the scena per angolo, or "scene viewed at an angle." This technique replaced the ...