Research:
Of watercolor and ink on paper.
This highly interesting pen and watercolor design is a variation on the model published in 1782 by the Italian court architect Giocondo Albertolli (1742–1839) in his Ornamenti diversi, inventati, disegnati ed eseguiti, Plate XIX. This extremely influential publication recorded a series of designs that Albertolli had created, primarily for royal commissions in Italy, and, in turn, influenced many other architects and designers across Europe and beyond. The unfinished nature of the present drawing is intriguing, and it would appear likely that the present piece was an early version of a presentation drawing intended for the palace commission.
Full research report available on request.