Concept for an Altar Frame, ca. 1650–1700
MediumPen with brown, brown wash, watercolour
Sheet dimensions98,4 × 73,2 cm
About the workThe blurring of the boundaries between pictorial and real space is a central feature of art in the seventeenth century. In the case of this altar frame designed by the Roman painter Giuseppe Passeri, the ornamental painting on the wall is intended to make a church space appear larger than it actually is. In draft drawings, it was customary to depict symmetrical architectural elements opposite one another only once. The viewer must project the executed composition on the left onto the empty surface on the right and thus complete the design in their imagination.
AccessionCollection of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Provenance[…]; seit 1932 Dauerleihgabe der Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Inventory numberKA (FP) 2312
