Wenzel Lorenz REINER
Prague 1689 – 1743
Design project for a ceiling
Watercolor over a pen-and-Indian ink underpainting
327 × 505 mm, with cut corners
Signed in pen and brown ink in the lower right: Wenzel Reiner.
Watermark: Countermark by J. Honig and Zoon, similar to Heawood 3344 or 3345.
This drawing is fully in keeping with the tradition of monumental painting. It is a design for a ceiling decoration, as evidenced by the illusionistic architectural framing: trompe-l’oeil balustrades, cornices, and pilasters create the illusion that the space opens up toward a luminous sky. The scene appears to depict an assembly of the Olympian gods gathered around Jupiter, identifiable by the eagle and his central position.