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Meet Me at The Met: Amor Towles

For writer Amor Towles, The Met is not just one museum, but many.
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Writer Amor Towles finds inspiration in a visit to one of his favorite places in The Met, the magical studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio. For Towles, The Met is not just one museum, but many.

You can visit the Gubbio Studiolo yourself in our European Sculpture and Decorative Arts galleries.

View of a doorway with detailed wood inlays, part of the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio

Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, ca. 1478–82. Designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini (Italian, 1439–1501), Executed under the supervision of Francesco di Giorgio Martini (Italian, 1439–1501), Executed in the workshop of Giuliano da Maiano (Italian, 1432–1490) and Benedetto da Maiano (Italian, 1442–1497). Walnut, beech, rosewood, oak, and fruitwoods in walnut base, 15 ft. 11 in. x 16 ft. 12 in. x 12 ft. 7 1/4 in. (485 x 518 x 384 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund, 1939 (39.153)

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Amor Towles features the studiolo in his story “The DiDomenico Fragment” from his best-selling collection of shorter fiction, Table for Two.

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Art Mentioned

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Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, Francesco di Giorgio Martini Italian, Walnut, beech, rosewood, oak and fruitwoods in walnut base, Italian, Gubbio
Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1478–82
The Annunciation, Joos van Cleve Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Annunciation
Joos van Cleve
ca. 1525
The Annunciation, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Annunciation
Hans Memling
ca. 1465–70