Design for the Ceiling of the Salon of the Palazzo Spinola, Genoa
1777
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From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1777
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From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This drawing shows a fancy ceiling design framed like a window. Inside the oval, a dramatic scene unfolds: people in flowing robes float above stormy clouds, some reaching upward as if trying to grab something. The edges are packed with swirling decorations—leaves, scrolls, and tiny figures hiding in the corners. The artist used shading to make the clouds look thick and the figures feel weightless. The borders are packed with tiny details, like hidden faces peeking from the carvings. Want to see how this was made? Look up etching.
