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Design for a Wall Monument

ca. 1490
Not on view
Francesco di Giorgio was a Sienese sculptor, painter, illuminator, architect, and military engineer. The precise function of this drawing is uncertain; it may record an idea for a tomb sculpture or perhaps a painting. The foreshortened architectural perspective and the downward gaze of the figures suggest the work was intended to be placed high on the wall of a chapel or nave. The male figure in the center, flanked by muses or figures representing the liberal arts, may portray the patron, suggesting a memorializing function. Alternatively, this vellum sheet may have served as the frontispiece for Francesco di Giorgio’s treatise on machines, in which case, the male figure may be a self-portrait of the artist.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Design for a Wall Monument
  • Artist: Francesco di Giorgio Martini (Italian, Siena 1439–1501 Siena)
  • Date: ca. 1490
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, blue gouache, on vellum
  • Dimensions: 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. (18.4 x 18.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.376
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

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