Workshop of Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Design for the Arch of Trajan in Ancona, ca. 1778
Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper
17 1/4 × 11 1/8 in. (437 × 283 mm)
Museo Napoleonico, Rome
© Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali — Museo Napoleonico
The design for this triumphal arch is based on the ancient Arch of Trajan in Ancona. Valadier created a reduction of the arch for the deser of the Bailli de Breteuil. Some of the decoration shown in the drawing — some rosettes and the equestrian statuette and trophies at its top in gilt bronze — is no longer present on the arch of the deser.