Design for a Decorated Base of a Candlestick Holder
early 16th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash. Design silhouetted
Dimensions
sheet: 3 7/16 x 5 1/2 in. (8.7 x 14 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.50.198
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing by Giulio Romano captures the inventive spirit of Renaissance design. A leading pupil of Raphael and a key figure in the transition to Mannerism, Romano created this study for the ornate base of a candlestick holder around the early 1500s. The small sheet reveals his skill in transforming functional objects into works of art, blending sculptural form with decorative motifs that would have enriched the interiors of noble households or churches. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush-applied wash, the silhouetted design highlights Romano’s fluid draftsmanship. The techni...
About the Artist
Giulio Romano · 1499–1546
Giulio Romano (c. 1499–1546) was the most gifted pupil of Raphael and one of the founding figures of Mannerism, the style that succeeded the High Renaissance in Italy. Born Giulio Pippi in Rome, he entered Raphael's workshop as a boy and proved so talented that by the time of Raphael's death in 1520 he was effectively running the studio and overseeing the completion of major unfinished commissions...