3315 - Apsidal room

Apsidal room with a crown of columns. German (or English (?)), about 1720. Pen-and-ink drawing in gray, blue wash, with yellow and red watercolors; edged with a broad blue and a soft black line, on handmade paper with watermark: coat of arms with diagonal band, crowned by a lily. 49 : 40,3 cm. Several paper damages restored. The apsidal room, which can be entered via two steps, is particularly characterized by five free-standing columns of different orders on high pedestals, each backed by a pilaster and a wall support, and carrying projecting transom panels above the capitals. The chords of the flat semi-dome above are decorated with figures and ornaments that are not clearly defined. In the middle of the room is an ornate console. A crack has been repaired with paper on which an English text is printed. It remains to be seen whether this allows conclusions to be drawn about the provenance of this and the following sheet. The snake emblem on the left in the lunette, which appears to be based on Irish depictions, could also indicate that it was created in the English-speaking world. However, the architecture on the previous sheet, which is by the same artist (cat. no. 37), is definitely southern German.