Design for a Ceiling Decoration with Chinoiserie Scenes

Anonymous, Italian, 18th century Italian

ca. 1720–60

Not on view

Design for the trompe l'oeil decoration of a ceiling with architectural elements in a late Baroque/early Rococo vocabulary. Only a quarter of the ceiling is represented with the exception of the central niche at lower right, which has been completed in order to display the full figure group that fills the niche. The figures and attributes are inspired by Asian examples and fall into the genre generally referred to as chinoiseries. In combination with the architectural elements this likely suggests a dating in the second quarter of the eighteenth century. The location for which this ceiling design was intended is unknown.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Design for a Ceiling Decoration with Chinoiserie Scenes
Artist: Anonymous, Italian, 18th century
Date: ca. 1720–60
Medium: Watercolor
Dimensions: 10-1/4 x 13-3/4 in
Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1952
Object Number: 52.570.102
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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