Elevation of a villa
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-1215
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Elevation of a Villa** by Giuseppe Barberi (1746–1809) offers a captivating glimpse into 18th-century Italian architecture. As an Italian architect active in Rome during the Neoclassical era, Barberi specialized in elegant designs that revived classical symmetry and proportion, blending ancient Roman grandeur with Enlightenment ideals of harmony and restraint. This *elevation*—a precise frontal rendering of a villa's facade—served as a vital tool for architects, builders, and patrons to envision and refine structures before construction began. Though the medium remains unidentified amid ong...