Project for a Ceiling
Classification
interiors
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors
Accession Number
1901-39-1690
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Project for a Ceiling** by Mauro Antonio Tesi (Italian, 1730–1766), created around 1760, offers a glimpse into the opulent world of 18th-century Italian interior design. Tesi, a versatile Bolognese artist, painter, and architect, was renowned for contributions to decorative schemes in palaces and churches across northern Italy. This preparatory "project"—likely a detailed drawing or sketch—envisioned an elaborate ceiling, a hallmark of the late Baroque and emerging Rococo styles, where artists like Tesi blended illusionistic architecture with vibrant ornamentation to create awe-inspiring spa...