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Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, 15th century (ca. 1479–82)
Designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1502); Executed by Giuliano da Majano (1432–1490)
Italian (Gubbio); Made in Gubbio, Italy
Walnut, beech, rosewood, oak and fruitwoods on walnut base; H. 15 ft. 10 15/16 in. (485 cm), W. 16 ft. 11 15/16 in. (518 cm), D. 12 ft. 7 3/16 in. (384 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1939 (39.153)
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Description
This is a detail of one of the walls of the studiolo, or study, that Federico da Montefeltro had built in his palace in the city of Gubbio, in Umbria in north-central Italy. The room, now in the Museum's collection, is one of the most important works of Renaissance art in America. All four walls of the studiolo are made entirely of inlaid wood, in a technique known as intarsia; thousands of pieces of different woods were fitted together to create a trompe-l'oeil (fool-the-eye) illusion of a room lined with cupboards. The cupboards, their latticed doors, and the books and objects inside them all look three-dimensional, as if they actually existed. There is even a bench with realistic shadows. Creating the illusion of three-dimensional space within a two-dimensional surface is possible through the technique of linear perspective, which fascinated Renaissance artists.
Federico, the duke of Urbino, was an important military leader and a great humanist, schooled in history, philosophy, mathematics, and the arts. The objects depicted in the studiolo's cupboards—family emblems, military decorations, books, scientific instruments, and musical instruments—symbolize the duke's rank and his accomplishments as a true Renaissance man.
View more highlights from the Museum's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts.
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