Altar Mensa for the Capella Paolina, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

A watercolor and ink elevation drawing of an altar with a pale marble-striped base, a green-blue veined backdrop, and paired fluted columns at the sides. Gilded ornaments, a central oval medallion and a stepped platform frame the composition in a symmetrical, architectural view.

Artist

Mario Asprucci The Younger

Date

ca. 1760

Medium

Pen and black ink, brush and watercolor over black chalk on paper

Source

Smithsonian (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum)

Size

4000 × 2412 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Smithsonian Institution, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum