Triumphal arch surmounted by a statue representing the city of Bologna, buildings seen through the arch below, a temporary decoration for the entry of Pope Clement VIII in Bologna in 1598

Triumphal arch surmounted by a statue representing the city of Bologna, buildings seen through the arch below, a temporary decoration for the entry of Pope Clement VIII in Bologna in 1598

Guido Reni

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plate from 'Descrittione de gli apparati fatti in Bologna per la venuta di N.S. Papa Clemente VIII', a book containing a description of the festivities for Pope Clement VIII's entry to Bologna and eight etchings by Reni illustrating the temporary decorations made for the event, published by Vittorio Benacci in Bologna in 1598. A second edition containing an additional plate was published by Benacci in 1599 and a later edition (undated) was published by Gioseffo Longhi. The arch was constructed out of bricks and was painted.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Triumphal arch surmounted by a statue representing the city of Bologna, buildings seen through the arch below, a temporary decoration for the entry of Pope Clement VIII in Bologna in 1598Triumphal arch surmounted by a statue representing the city of Bologna, buildings seen through the arch below, a temporary decoration for the entry of Pope Clement VIII in Bologna in 1598Triumphal arch surmounted by a statue representing the city of Bologna, buildings seen through the arch below, a temporary decoration for the entry of Pope Clement VIII in Bologna in 1598Triumphal arch surmounted by a statue representing the city of Bologna, buildings seen through the arch below, a temporary decoration for the entry of Pope Clement VIII in Bologna in 1598Triumphal arch surmounted by a statue representing the city of Bologna, buildings seen through the arch below, a temporary decoration for the entry of Pope Clement VIII in Bologna in 1598

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.