Design for an Overdoor or the Top of a Niche with a Bust and Garland-bearing Putti 1652 - 1725

Giovanni Battista Foggini’s “Design for an Overdoor or the Top of a Niche with a Bust and Garland-bearing Putti” is a detailed pen-and-ink drawing that shows the design for a decorative overdoor, which is a structure built above a doorway, or the top of a niche. The design features an oval frame topped with a classical bust, surrounded by two winged putti, or cherubs, holding a garland of flowers. The intricate design, composed of swirling lines and decorative elements, exemplifies the Baroque style prevalent in 17th-century Italy. The drawing was completed in the early 18th century and is currently on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.