Design for a Wall Monument
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
- 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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Francesco di Giorgio Martini
ca. 1470–75
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
ca. 1470
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
1468–75
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1478–82
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
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