Portrait of the Duchess of Buccleugh and Ornament, nos. CCCCXXXII, 433, 435, plate 66 from "Designs for Various Ornaments"
August 30, 1792
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 16 9/16 × 11 1/4 in. (42 × 28.5 cm) Sheet: 21 1/16 × 14 11/16 in. (53.5 × 37.3 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008
Accession Number
2018.839.47
Art Historical Context
This exquisite etching, titled *Portrait of the Duchess ofleugh and Ornament nos. CCCCXXXII, 433, 435, plate 66* from Michelangelo Pergolesi's *Design for Various Ornaments*, captures the elegance of late 18th-century neoc design. Created on August 30, 1792, by Italian engraver Michelangelo Pergoles—who worked extensively in England—it features Elizabeth Scott, Duchess of Buccleugh, a prominent Scottish noblewoman, alongside intricate ornamental motifs. These designs reflect the era's fascination with symmetry, classical motifs, and refined decoration, often used in architecture, furniture, an...
About the Artist
Michelangelo Pergolesi|Elizabeth Scott, Duchess of Buccleugh · 1760–1801
Michelangelo Pergolesi (1760–1801) was an Italian decorative artist, draughtsman, engraver, and designer whose career bridged Rome and London, profoundly influencing neoclassical interiors during the late 18th century. Little is known of his early life or formal training, with biographical details sparsely documented. Likely inspired by classical antiquity and the era's archaeological fervor, incl...