Design for a Funeral Monument
early 16th century
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
Culture
Italian, Lombard
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.419
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Design for a Funeral Monument from early 16th-century Lomb captures the Renaissance fusion of piety and classical grandeur. Likely intended for a noble or ecclesiastical patron, it features a Madonna and Child enthroned atop an ornate sarcophagus, flanked by male figures— saints, mourners, or allegorical attendants—evoking eternal salvation amid the somber theme of death. Lombard artists, influenced by Leonardo da Vinci's stay in Milan, excelled in such preparatory drawings, blending Northern Italian naturalism with antique motifs revived during the Renaissance. Crafted in pen...