Design for a Ceiling 1739 - 1819

This ceiling design, sketched by Mariano Salvador de Maella, swirls with neoclassical motifs. We see deities and mythological figures drifting amidst clouds, framing a central scene of a goddess in a chariot pulled by spirited horses. The goddess evokes images of Aurora or perhaps Amphitrite, each figure embodying renewal and dominion over the natural world. Consider how the chariot, a symbol of triumph and power since ancient times, appears in Roman art depicting emperors' victorious returns. Even earlier, in ancient Egyptian art, gods and pharaohs were depicted in chariots as a symbol of divine power. The enduring appeal of the chariot is perhaps linked to our subconscious desire for control and mastery. It surfaces again and again through history, each time carrying echoes of past glory and transformation. These symbols, these iconographic constellations, are never truly lost; they simply transform, adapting to the shifting skies of human imagination.