Workshop of Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Design for the Temple of Mercury, ca. 1778
Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper
15 1/8 × 8 7/8 in. (385 × 224 mm)
Museo Napoleonico, Rome
© Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali — Museo Napoleonico
This drawing of the Temple of Mercury relates to one of the temples of the deser of the Bailli de Breteuil. The temple is made with colored marbles and semiprecious stones, such as amethyst and garnets. The garland at the center of the tympanum and the three small vases at its top are no longer present in the temple of the deser.