Design for a Ceiling in Pompeian Style

A decorative ceiling design drawn in pen and red ink with watercolor washes of yellow, green and gray. Ornate scrollwork and foliage frame a central panel, while small figures, a standing robed woman, and tiny animals sit within diamond and square compartments arranged symmetrically.

Look closer: A tiny winged cherub stands in the lower right diamond panel beside a small bird.

Artist

Anonymous, Italian, 18th century

Date

18th century

Medium

Pen and red ink, brush and yellow, green, blue, red, and gray watercolor, over lead or graphite

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3887 × 2948 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1952