Design for a Wall and Ceiling with Frames and Decorations in Stucco

Design for a Wall and Ceiling with Frames and Decorations in Stucco

Anonymous, Italian, 18th century

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This sheet depicts a design for a wall and a vault with lunettes, meant for the Baroque interior of an Italian palace. The design is characterized by a door on the left side over which an oval frame is depicted. The wall and ceiling are divided into bays which are separated by pilasters. A large rectangular frame is placed in front of the transition from the second to the third bay. To its left an oval frame is visible. None of the frames are filled. The ceiling continuous directly from the pilasters of the upper wall and is rendered in a way that suggests that the ceiling might have a semi-circular shape. The ceiling compartments are filled with rosettes. Overall, only a quarter of the room is represented. The opportune placement of mirrors would have doubled the image, demonstrating the full space without necessitating a complete drawing.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Design for a Wall and Ceiling with Frames and Decorations in StuccoDesign for a Wall and Ceiling with Frames and Decorations in StuccoDesign for a Wall and Ceiling with Frames and Decorations in StuccoDesign for a Wall and Ceiling with Frames and Decorations in StuccoDesign for a Wall and Ceiling with Frames and Decorations in Stucco

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.