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This is a drawing of a ceiling design. The central feature is a circular medallion with classical motifs and mythological figures surrounded by decorative patterns. The design includes ornate borders separated by gilded lines, creating symmetry and detail. There are fresco-like frames in the corners and other sections with additional figures and ornamental details, reminiscent of neoclassical style. The colors are muted, enhancing the classical theme.
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This is a drawing of a ceiling design. The central feature is a circular medallion with classical motifs and mythological figures surrounded by decorative patterns. The design includes ornate borders separated by gilded lines, creating symmetry and detail. There are fresco-like frames in the corners and other sections with additional figures and ornamental details, reminiscent of neoclassical style. The colors are muted, enhancing the classical theme.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

An Ornate Ceiling with an Allegory of Spring

Giacomo Quarenghi

Date
1790/1815
Medium
pen and black ink with watercolor over graphite on faintly blued-green laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 47.7 × 34.7 cm (18 3/4 × 13 11/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1993.13.2
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1776 to 1800
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • Venetian
  • ceiling design
  • architecture
Provenance

(sale New York, Sotheby's, "Old Master Drawings," January 13, 1993 [lot number 59]); Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox Ltd, London, 1993; purchased 1993, by NGA

Inscription

by later hand, lower right in graphite: 24.; by later hand, upper right verso in graphite: 20006269/2

NGA object ID 79419. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.