Design for a Ceiling Decoration

This complex architectural design was recently revealed when the sheet was lifted from its secondary support, uncovering the verso. Composed of stucco ornaments and fresco paintings, the scheme appears to have a papal connection: a sketch of the profile of a pope is visible in the small roundel below a large scene featuring a crowning ceremony. As most of Giuseppe Passeri's decorations for Roman palaces and churches have been destroyed (typically comprising both figure paintings and illusionistic architectural wall decorations), this design records an important aspect of the career and oeuvre of this outstanding draughtsman.