Ground Plan of a Catafalque for Francis Lewis of Newburg, Archshop of Mainz (died Breslau 1732)
ca. 1732
Medium
Pen, brown ink and gray wash over pencil
Dimensions
19-3/8 x 13-3/16 in. (49.2 x 33.5 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
1972.713.30
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intricate drawing by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena a master of the Bibiena family’s Baroque scenographic tradition, presents the ground plan for a grand catafalque honoring Francis Lewis of Newburg, Archbishop Mainz, who died inlau in 1732. Created around that year, it captures the opulent temporary architecture used for ecclesiastical funerals in the Holy Roman Empire, where such structures elevated the deceased’s status through dramatic scale and symbolism. As Elector-Archbishop, Lewis wielded significant political and religious influence, making his memorial a display of Counter-Reformation s...
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 ...