One of a kind, this monumental oil sketch was presented by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1752 as his proposal for the grand staircase ceiling at the Würzburg Residence in Germany. Among the artist’s most dazzling achievements, it depicts Apollo preparing to cross the sky, surrounded by deities symbolizing the planets and allegorical figures representing Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The final fresco, considered Tiepolo’s greatest masterpiece, positioned Würzburg and its rulers at the symbolic center of the cosmos. Today, this extraordinary preparatory painting endures as both a triumph of imagination and a landmark in European art history. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue, Gallery 643.