Design for a Spandrel: A Roman Martyr and Two Putti–Saint Jude the Apostle
1573/75
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, heightened with lead white gouache, on blue laid paper
Dimensions
Sight: 23.8 × 27 cm (9 3/8 × 10 11/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
223801
Art Historical Context
This preparatory drawing by Livio Agresti captures a dynamic design for a spandrel—the curved triangular space often found in architectural vaults. Created between 1573 and 1575, it depicts Saint Jude the Apostle as a Roman martyr accompanied by two lively putti, blending sacred narrative with graceful movement typical of late Renaissance religious art. As a study for a larger fresco or ceiling decoration, the work reveals how artists planned compositions to fit challenging architectural spaces in churches or palaces. Agresti employed pen and brown ink with fluid brown washes and delicate whi...