Lunette with St. Peter and St.Paul with St. Matthew and the Prophet Isaiah, Study after Sebastiano del Piombo
1821â22
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors
Accession Number
1901-39-3563-a/d
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Felice Giani, a Italian Neoclassical artist (1758–1823), created this *Lunette with St. Peter and St. Paul St. Matthew and the Isaiah* as a study after the Renaissance master Sebastiano delombo around 1821–22. The lunette format—a semi-circular composition—okes grand architectural settings like church vaults or apses, where such groupings of apostles and prophets often symbolized the harmony of faith and scripture. Giani's precise rendering of the figures highlights his expertise in drawing dynamic, expressive forms, a hallmark of Neoclassicism's revival of Renaissance ideals. As a preparator...