Franz Theobald Horny

In this drawing, Horny treats the delicate lily branch as a monumental form. Placed against a vivid green-blue background, the flower fills almost the entire space of the sheet. Through the combination of pen and ink, graphite, and translucent watercolor, the topography of individual petals is carefully described. The dark background, composed of richly layered washes, further enhances the lily’s palpable three-dimensionality. Although the drawing would seem to be an end in itself, it is connected to the artist’s work on the ceiling decoration of the Dante Hall at the Casino Massimo in Rome.