Design for a Ceiling
1800–1900
Medium
Watercolor
Dimensions
6-1/8 x 7-7/8 in
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.627.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate watercolor, titled *Design for a Ceiling*,ails from an anonymous Italian artist of the 19th century1800–1900). Measuring just 6-1/8 x 7-7/8 inches, it the elegance of architectural ornamentation typical of Italy's grand interiors during a time when neoclassical and Romantic influences revived opulent decorative arts. Such designs often served as preparatory sketches for palazzos, villas, or public spaces, envisioning intricate patterns of stucco, frescoes, coffered panels that evoked antiquity while suiting modern tastes. Rendered in watercolor—a favored medium for architects an...