An Architectural Detail: A Herm Figure Placing or Removing a Column from Under an Entablature (after Stucco Frame by Daniele da Volterra from Orsini Chapel, Santa Trinità dei Monti)

Art Historical Context

In the intricate world of 18th-century architectural drawing Giovanni Larciani—known as the "Master the Kress Landscapes"—ured this delicate study titled *An Architectural Detail: A Figure Placing or Removing a from Under an Entabl*. Rendered on a modest sheet measuring just 6 5/16 x 2 1/2 inches, the work depicts a whimsical herm—a classical pillar topped with a carved head—engaged in the surreal act of adjusting a column beneath a heavy entablature. Using pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash over graphite, Larciani masterfully layered tones to evoke depth and texture, mimicking the play of light on sculpted stone. This drawing is a faithful rendition after a stucco frame by the Renaissance artist Daniele da Volterra in Rome's Orsini Chapel at Santa Trinità dei Monti, a 16th-century gem blending Mannerist flair with antique motifs. Volterra, famed for his dramatic frescoes, infused such decorations with dynamic energy, drawing from Greco-Roman architecture where herms symbolized strength and boundary guardianship. Larciani's copy reflects the enduring fascination among Enlightenment-era artists and architects for studying classical ornament, preserving ephemeral stucco details for inspiration in grand designs. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece highlights the meticulous craft of architectural draftsmen, who bridged antiquity and modernity through precise, evocative sketches. Visitors will appreciate its nod to Rome's layered history, where fantasy meets structural ingenuity.

About the Artist

Giovanni Larciani ("Master of the Kress Landscapes") · 1700–1800

Giovanni di Lorenzo Larciani (1484–1527), a Florentine painter known initially as the "Master of the Kress Landscapes," emerged from obscurity in the mid-1990s through the scholarship of Louis Waldman, who linked him to documents including a 1521 contract for an altarpiece. Born and active in Florence until his death, Larciani specialized in religious scenes enriched by vivid, atmospheric landscap...