Michelangelo Pergolesi

Michelangelo Pergolesi was an artist and designer documented as active between 1777 and 1784. His known output focuses exclusively on architectural and decorative prints, serving as a significant source for ornamental design during the late 18th century.

Pergolesi is primarily recognized for his comprehensive volume, Designs for Various Ornaments, which cataloged numerous panels, friezes, and motifs intended for use in contemporaneous decorative arts. His detailed print work demonstrates complex compositions, such as "Panels of Ornament, nos. VII–VIIII, plate 4 from Designs for Various Ornaments," and the extensive series detailed in "Ornament Designs, nos. CLVI to CLXXV, plate 33 from Designs for Various Ornaments." These pieces provided practical templates for craftsmen, showcasing the structured yet elaborate design aesthetic of the period.

Fourteen of the documented Michelangelo Pergolesi prints, alongside the complete design book, are preserved in institutional archives. The credibility of his work as a source for period decoration is confirmed by its inclusion in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These high-quality prints represent museum-quality documentation of 18th-century European ornamental standards. Due to the age of the original publication, the bulk of this material is now in the public domain.