Design for the Ceiling of the Salon of the Palazzo Spinola, Genoa

1777

Louis-Jean Desprez, after Charles de Wailly

Associated Names
Louis-Jean Desprez

Artist, French, 1743 - 1804

Charles de Wailly

Artist After, French, 1729 - 1798

This is a drawing of an ornately decorated ceiling. The image shows an elaborate architectural ceiling design, emphasizing an oval-shaped frame featuring a classical scene. The ceiling is decorated with intricate reliefs, classical motifs, and cherubic figures. The central oval scene depicts numerous figures, some riding chariots, surrounded by clouds, pointing to a heavenly or divine occurrence. The surrounding decorations showcase vases, rosettes, and possibly vegetal and floral designs, reflecting opulent baroque architectural style. The overall impression is one of grandeur and meticulous attention to detail typical of grand interior spaces from a classical period.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper [proof]

  • Credit Line

    Ruth and Jacob Kainen Memorial Acquisition Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 44.6 × 33.5 cm (17 9/16 × 13 3/16 in.)
    sheet: 57.2 × 42.7 cm (22 1/2 × 16 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2022.196.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Wollin 1933, no. 4 [proof]


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Galerie Martinez D, Paris); purchased 2022 by National Gallery of Art.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1933

  • Wollin, Nils, Graveurs Originales de Desprez ou Executees d'Apres Ses Dessins, Paris, 1933, no. 4

Inscriptions

lower center in crayon: Plafond du Salon Spinola / Exécuté a Genes d'après les dessins du S. De Wailly, architecte ancien controleur des bâtiments du Roy / de ces academies Royales d'architecture, peinture, sculpture, et de [not deciphered] de Bologne

Markings

none

Watermarks

papermaker's name [not deciphered]


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