Design for the headpiece of the Royal Academy Diploma, 1769

Attributed to George Michael Moser RA (1706 - 1783)

RA Collection: Art

A pen and ink design for the headpiece of the Royal Academy diploma. In the centre is a roundel displaying a scene in which the three Arts of painting, sculpture and architecture are represented as the three Graces standing before a seated figure of Britannia. Flanking the roundel on the left is a portrayal of Hercules holding the apples, in an unusually sedentary pose, with the vanquished figure of 'Envy' below him (alternatively 'Ignorance' or 'Falsehood'). On the right is a personification of Fame or Genius.

This design was approved by the RA Council to be engraved as the headpiece of the diploma but after seeing G. B. Cipriani's version they changed their minds and chose his design instead.