Ornament Design with Cameo and Urns
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Unknown Donor
Accession Number
1980-32-1478
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Michel Angelo Pergolesi’s *Ornament Design with Came and Urns* (1777) is a delicate drawing that captures the elegance of late 18th-century decorative arts. This Italian artist, active from around 1760 to 1801, specialized in intricate ornamental patterns inspired by classical antiquity. The composition likely features a cameo—a carved gemstone profile popular in neoclassical motifs—flanked by graceful urns, evoking timeless motifs of ancient Rome and Greece that were rediscovered through excavations at Pompeii and Herculane. Created during the height of the Neoclassical movement, this work r...