Six Designs for Alcove Elevations
Classification
interiors
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-1601
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Barberi, a Italian architect and designer (1746–1809), created *Six Designs for Alcove Elevations* around 1790, showcasing his mastery of neoclassical interior architecture. These drawings depict elegant recessed alcoves—intimate architectural niches often used in grand palaces and villas for displaying art, seating, or private retreats. Barberi, based in Rome, drew inspiration from ancient Roman motifs, blending symmetry, classical columns, and refined ornamentation in a style that bridged the opulent Rococo era with the emerging purity of Neoclassicism. In the late 18th century, as...