Ontwerp voor een rond plafondstuk met de vier windstreken 1727

Mattheus Terwesten made this design for a ceiling piece with pen and grey ink, likely as a study for a larger painted work. The material here, paper, is humble, but also crucial. It takes the artist away from the wall and into the studio. The quick, fluid lines capture figures representing the four winds, floating amid clouds in an ornate, Baroque style. While the drawing itself appears effortless, this belies the intense labor involved in producing such ornamentation on a large scale. Ceiling paintings, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries, demanded immense skill, not only in artistic technique but also in the physical exertion of working at height. Terwesten, like many artists of his time, would have relied on workshops and assistants to execute these grand schemes. So, even a sketch like this offers a glimpse into a complex system of production and the skilled labor needed to create these immersive environments for wealthy patrons. It reminds us that artworks were always the product of many hands.