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Portrait of an Architect and Sculptor
(Baroque Europe )
The unidentified sitter presents himself as a sculptor by the stylus for sculpting clay in his right hand, and as an architect by the compass and architectural drawing on the table. Behind him is a statue of Roma, the female personification of the city of Rome, while through the window a segment of the Triumphal Arch built for Emperor Constantine is visible.
The portrait expresses the reverence for the sculpture and architecture of ancient Rome that characterized the age of Neoclassicism. The lifted, serene gaze and illuminated face, framed by the white wig, suggest that the architect's art is inspired, guided by the examples of classical antiquity.
For more information on this portrait, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 423, p. 533.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquistion unknown] [1897 catalogue: no. 527, as A. R. Mengs]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31/1951 | Treatment | other |
| 3/27/1974 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
| 3/27/1974 | Treatment | cleaned; coated; loss compensation; mounted |
Geographies
Italy, Rome (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 38 3/4 x W: 29 3/8 in. (98.4 x 74.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1009
