Design for a Funeral Monument
This highly detailed study of a classically-inspired wall tomb may have served as a modello - a presentation drawing to be shown to a patron - or as a drawing of a finished monument. The portrait in the center, inspired by Roman models, probably represents the deceased, whose epitaph was intended to be inscribed on the blank cartouche at the bottom. The eight square scenes portray Prophets and Sibyls, while the upper pair of roundels portrays the Annunciation. The lower roundels illustrate the Creation of Adam and Eve, the latter inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling, completed in 1512.
Artwork Details
- Title: Design for a Funeral Monument
- Artist: Italian, Lombardy (early 16th century)
- Date: early 16th century
- Culture: Italian, Lombard
- Medium: Pen and ink in two shades of brown, brush and brown washes.
- Dimensions: 11 5/8 x 6 1/16 in. (29.6 x 15.4 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.1.419
- Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection
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