A Coffered Dome with Apollo and Phaeton

c. 1787

Felice Giani

Associated Names
Felice Giani

Artist, Italian, 1758 - 1823

This is an ornate drawing of a domed ceiling with a central painted scene. The drawing shows an elaborately decorated ceiling with a large oval fresco at the center featuring an allegorical or mythological scene. Surrounding the central fresco are detailed patterns of coffers and floral motifs. The architectural elements include curved sections arranged in a series of arches that form a grand dome-like structure. The central artwork appears vibrant with figures in motion, set against a background suggesting sky or divine elements.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink with gray, blue, and pink washes over black chalk on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 34.9 x 27 cm (13 3/4 x 10 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.81.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Yvonne tan Bunzi); acquired 1991 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1994

  • Fanciful Flourishes: Ornament in European Graphic Art and Related Objects, 1300-1800, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994.

2023

  • Looking Up: Studies for Ceilings, 1550-1800, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2023.

Bibliography

1990

  • Bunzi, Yvonne tan and Kate de Rothschild, Master Drawings. London, 1990: 22.

Inscriptions

below image, lower center in brown ink: Soffitto; lower left verso in graphite: 493858

Wikidata ID

Q64561246

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