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Part of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (Italian, Siena 1439–1501 Siena)
Date: ca. 1478–82Accession Number: 39.153
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This studiolo, or study, is one of the most important works of art of the Italian Renaissance in America. Commissioned about 1476 by Federico da Montefeltro (1422–1482), duke of Urbino, for his residence in Gubbio, Italy, it was intended as a place for seclusion, offering a retreat for intellectual pursuits, examining collectibles, and receiving privileged visitors.
The room is embellished with wooden intarsia. The technique was used to create intricate pictorial images evoking three-dimensionality, obviously intended to trick viewers' eyes into thinking these objects were real. The calculated structure of the studiolo enhanced this illusion of three-dimensionality by applying a system of linear perspective that had only recently been formulated by the great Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi.
