Modello for Ceiling Fresco with Papal Coat of Arms
1557–1629
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over traces of black chalk, on blue paper; squared in black chalk
Dimensions
12 11/16 x 6 1/8 in. (32.3 x 15.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1971
Accession Number
1971.142
Tags
Art Historical Context
Bernardo Castello (1557–1629), a prominent Genoese artist known for his Mannerist style, created this *Modello for Ceiling Fresco Papal Coat of Arms as a detailed preparatory drawing. Fashioned on striking blue paper, it served as a scaled-down model for a grand ceiling fresco, likely intended for a papal or ecclesiastical space in 16th- or early 17th-century. The papal coat of arms at its center symbolizes authority and divine favor, reflecting the era's deep ties between art, religion, and power during the Counter-Reformation. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash, heighte...
About the Artist
Bernardo Castello · 1557–1629
He may have been born in Genoa. Comment on works: Landscapes