While the function of this important drawing is uncertain, it may record an idea for a tomb sculpture or for a trompe-l'oeil painting. The architectural perspective of the oculus and the downward gaze of the figures suggest an intended location high on the side wall of a chapel or nave, in which case the donor and the two female attendants would have appeared to be looking toward the altar or down at the viewer. It is also possible, given the use of vellum and blue gouache, that this is the frontispiece for an illuminated manuscript or book. The identity of the male figure, whose distinctive features are represented with the accuracy of a portrait, remains unknown. The cartouche at the lower edge was designed to contain an epigraph or dedication but was left blank. The present inscription was added by a later hand.
