"Aurora" ("Goddess of the Dawn") – Sketch to a Plafon at the House of Jura Nieczajew-Malcew in Sanktt Petersburg

Henryk Siemiradzki's Aurora sketch was a preparatory study for a ceiling painting in the private house of a Russian patron in Saint Petersburg, evidence of the sustained demand for classicizing allegorical decoration among the Russian aristocracy and haute bourgeoisie in the 1880s. Siemiradzki, a Polish-born painter who trained in Munich and lived primarily in Rome, was celebrated across Europe for his large-scale classical scenes. Aurora, goddess of the dawn, was a perennial subject for ceiling painting, her upward flight and scattering of light making her ideal for illusionistic overhead compositions.

The sketch captures the upward diagonal movement essential to ceiling composition. Aurora's figure is loosely blocked in warm rose and gold, the surrounding sky and clouds handled with the gestural freedom appropriate to a study. Siemiradzki's academic training is evident in the confident figure placement.