This is a drawing of a grand architectural interior featuring classical elements. The scene depicts a large domed rotunda with a coffered ceiling and an ornate balcony adorned with intricate columns and statues. The walls are lined with niches housing busts and figures. In the foreground, a wide staircase with elegant balustrades leads upwards, bordered by figures engaged in various activities. The drawing uses a monochromatic palette.
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Design for a Stage Curtain: The Interior of an Elaborate Temple Dedicated to Illustrious Men

Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (French, 1727 - 1801)

1780s?

Medium
pen and gray ink with gray and gray-brown wash on laid paper
Classification
Drawing
Dimensions
sheet: 37 × 39.8 cm (14 9/16 × 15 11/16 in.)
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CG-E
Credit line
William B. O'Neal Fund
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art