Study for an Architectural Decoration

The light grid in faint graphite indicates that this elegant design was squared for transfer onto another surface, presumably a wall or ceiling. The drawing presents the left side of a Baroque cartouche of the type Girolamo Curti (called Il Dentone) used in the illusionistic architectural schemes in which he specialized. Curti is best known for establishing classical ceiling decoration in his native Bologna and for founding its " quadratura " tradition: the painting of fictitious architecture on a flat surface to convey a three-dimensional setting. His designs featured columns, balustrades, cornices, windows and pilasters, all rendered in perfect perspective - a true " trompe l'oeil " - culminating in an open area onto which a figurative painter could create a narrative fresco.