A Dream; Virgin on a Crescent
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-7360
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**A Dream; Virgin on a Crescent** (c. 1825–1850) is a captivating drawing by Italian artist Fortato Duranti (178–1863), housed in the Smithsonian American Art. Duranti, a skilled draftsman and sculptor from Carrara—Italy's famed marble hub—created this work during a period of artistic transition in Europe, bridging Neoclassicism's refined forms with emerging Romantic sensibilities As a drawing, it likely served as a preparatory study, highlighting the artist's command of line and composition in exploring ethereal, devotional themes. The title evokes a mystical vision: the Virgin Mary poised on a crescent moon, a classic icon from Christian iconography symbolizing purity and the Immaculate Conception, as described in Revelation. Duranti's rendition captures this celestial dreamscape, blending spiritual reverence with imaginative fantasy—a nod to 19th-century Italian religious art amid secular upheavals like Italian unification. Though the exact medium remains unidentified amid ongoing research, such works underscore drawings' role as intimate, experimental precursors to grand sculptures or paintings. Acquired through museum purchase with donor gifts, including the Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund, this piece enriches the Smithsonian's collection, bridging European traditions with American tastes. It invites visitors to ponder Duranti's devout imagination, where divine dreams take fluid, sketched form. (198 words)