Design for a Trompe-l'oeil Ceiling Decoration
1780
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1780
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This drawing shows a fake ceiling. Tall columns line up in rows, like a real room but flat on paper. The center has a blank white space with faint sketches of people. Dark borders frame the whole thing, packed with tiny patterns and shapes. The artist tricked the eye into seeing depth. That’s the point—it looks real but isn’t. Look up cross-hatching next to see how artists build shadows with lines.
