Artwork
Preliminary design for the ceiling of the Upper Hall at Greenwich
Preliminary design for the ceiling of the Upper Hall at Greenwich is a drawing by the Baroque artist James, Sir Thornhill. It dates from 1707 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This drawing is a preliminary design for the ceiling of the Upper Hall at Greenwich, featuring a complex composition with numerous figures and symbols.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is Queen Anne, surrounded by allegorical representations of Providence, the Virtues, the Arts and Sciences, and other symbols of Empire, conveying a sense of imperial power and cultural achievement.
Technique & Style
Executed in pen and ink with wash over pencil, the drawing is characterized by rapid, expressive lines and a dense, dynamic composition, with the entire surface filled with movement and activity.
History & Provenance
Previously misattributed as a design for Hampton Court, the drawing was purchased in 1919. A related oil painting, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1934, is held in a private collection.
Artist & collection
Birth of Venus
Jacob Allowing Benjamin to Go to Egypt with His Brothers
William and Mary Presenting the Cap of Liberty to Europe (sketch for the painted ceiling of the Great Hall, Greenwich Hospital)
The Discovery of Achilles among the Daughters of Lycomedes
Design for a coffered ceiling
Design for the west wall of the Upper Hall at Greenwich
Early project design for the lower wall of the Great Hall at Moor Park, Hertfordshire
Untitled
Illusionistic Ceiling with a Grape Arbor, Figures Poised on Galleries, and a Central Scene of Olympian Gods
Design for a wall and ceiling painting, possibly for Chatsworth, Derbyshire
Quarts de plafons
The Triumph of Empire, with the Four Continents
Boreas Abducting Oreithyia
The Apotheosis of Romulus: Design for a Ceiling
Quarts de plafons
Design for the lower wall of the Great Hall at Moor Park, Hertfordshire