Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Meet Michelle. She’s a ceramic artist who transformed a nearly 300-year-old Giovanni Paolo Panini painting into a hand-carved sculpture.
The painting depicts the Roman Pantheon, one of the world’s most iconic buildings. One pope even called it “the most celebrated edifice in the whole world.”
Inspired by Panini’s painting, @michelle_wen_artist painstakingly translated the Pantheon’s soaring interior into clay. Every carved detail, from the coffered dome overhead to the tiny architectural features circling the rotunda, reflects hours of craftsmanship and extraordinary attention to detail.
“Ceramics can be quite unforgiving as a medium, so it’s tempting to stick with what is comfortable once you find it,” she says. “This project was a reminder to step out of that comfort, as artistic growth often comes from solving challenges. Carving late into the night in my peaceful studio in Brooklyn is my little slice of heaven.”
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🖼️ Giovanni Paolo Panini, “Interior of the Pantheon, Rome,” 1734, oil on canvas, 50 3/8 x 39 in., Samuel H. Kress Collection
📍 West Building Main Floor, Gallery M30
#art #italy #explorepage
Meet Michelle. She’s a ceramic artist who transformed a nearly 300-year-old Giovanni Paolo Panini painting into a hand-carved sculpture.
The painting depicts the Roman Pantheon, one of the world’s most iconic buildings. One pope even called it “the most celebrated edifice in the whole world.”
Inspired by Panini’s painting, @michelle_wen_artist painstakingly translated the Pantheon’s soaring interior into clay. Every carved detail, from the coffered dome overhead to the tiny architectural features circling the rotunda, reflects hours of craftsmanship and extraordinary attention to detail.
“Ceramics can be quite unforgiving as a medium, so it’s tempting to stick with what is comfortable once you find it,” she says. “This project was a reminder to step out of that comfort, as artistic growth often comes from solving challenges. Carving late into the night in my peaceful studio in Brooklyn is my little slice of heaven.”
__
🖼️ Giovanni Paolo Panini, “Interior of the Pantheon, Rome,” 1734, oil on canvas, 50 3/8 x 39 in., Samuel H. Kress Collection
📍 West Building Main Floor, Gallery M30
#art #italy #explorepage
