Studies for the trompe-l’oeil decorations of Palazzo Ducale (Palazzo Pitti), Florence
Medium
Pen and brown ink over black chalk, some with watercolor
Dimensions
Sheet: 15 9/16 × 8 13/16 in. (39.5 × 22.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2016
Accession Number
2017.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
These preparatory drawings by Agostino Mitelli and Giacomo Chiavistelli, created between 1636 and 1641, served as detailed studies for the ambitious trompe-l'œil decorations in Florence's Palazzo Pitti ( known as Palazzo Ducale the opulent residence of the Medici family. the Baroque era, such illusionistic designs were all the rage in grand Italian palaces, using architectural frameworks—known as *quadratura*—to create the mesmerizing effect of extending rooms into vast, three-dimensional spaces filled with figures, including male nudes and elegant women. Executed in pen and brown ink over bl...