Manuscript page with a Project for a Fountain (recto) and Project and Plan for a Monumental Staircase (verso)
ca. 1740–60
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over black chalk or graphite (recto); pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, graphite, red chalk (verso)
Dimensions
6-7/16 x 9-3/4 in. (16.4 x 24.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1971
Accession Number
1971.513.22
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate double-sided drawing by Luigi Vanvitelli, a master architect of 18th-century Italy, captures the imaginative designs that defined the grandeur of Baroque and early Neoclassical architecture. Created around 1740–60, the recto features a project for an ornate fountain, while the verso presents a plan for a monumental staircase—both hallmarks of Vanvitelli's work on palatial estates like the Royal Palace of Caserta, where he blended sculptural flair with functional elegance. Executed on a modest 6-7/16 x 9-3/4 inch sheet, the artwork employs pen and brown ink for precise lines, bru...
About the Artist
Luigi Vanvitelli · 1700–1773
Born 12 May 1700; died 1 March 1773. Famous for his design for the Royal Palace at Caserta, built 1751. Vanvitelli was active in Rome, Naples and nearby towns, also Brescia, Milan and Genoa. Comment on works: Portraits