Detailing the Dome

William J. Sayward was one of the architectural drafters at McKim, Mead & White assigned to work closely with contractors on the Morgan Library project. He created this intricate drawing for the ornamentation of the Rotunda’s dome, which would incorporate a central skylight, or oculus (here marked “plate glass”). The artist H. Siddons Mowbray, who was engaged to create the painted decoration, would refine these designs for the roundels and other paintings, taking into account that “the ceiling is pierced by light.”