The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
The Apotheosis of Romulus: Design for a Ceiling
c. 1675–76
(Italian, 1625–1684)
Sheet: 24 x 37.7 cm (9 7/16 x 14 13/16 in.)
Location: Not on view
Description
Domenico Maria Canuti made this design for a quadratura ceiling fresco in preparation for a commission at the Palazzo Altieri in Rome. Quadratura describes painting in which architectural elements are painted to appear to be part of the real architectural setting. Canuti focused on establishing the visual coherence between the figures, portraying the deification of Rome’s founder, and the painted architecture by drawing perspective lines at 90-degree and 45-degree angles. The perfectly rendered 24-point stars at the edge of the painted architecture were emblems of the Altieri family.- The 'Sagredo-Borghese' album (L. 2103a), with associated inscriptions 'Pietro da Cortona' (recto) and 'S. R. [Scuola Romano] n?. 110' (verso)1743Zaccaria Sagredo, Venice, to his wife Cecilia Sagredo, by whom sold circa 17431919Private collection, Lyon, from which sold circa 1919July 8, 2008[Christie's, Anonymous Sale, London, England], July 8, 2008, lot 39July 5, 2017[Christie's, London, England], July 5, 2017, lot 29, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OHSeptember 11, 2017–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Peters, Emily J. and Wehn, James. “Acquisition Highlights: Drawings.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 58, no. 2 (March/April 2018): 12-13. Reproduced: P. 13; Mentioned: P. 12 archive.org
- {{cite web|title=The Apotheosis of Romulus: Design for a Ceiling|url=false|author=Domenico Maria Canuti|year=c. 1675–76|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.104