Design for a Wall-mounted Epitaph
ca. 1700–1730
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush with gray, yellow, and pink wash
Dimensions
4 x 2-7/8 in. (10.1 x 7.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947
Accession Number
47.116.7
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, *Design for a Wall-mountedaph* by Giovanni Larcianialso known as the "Master of theress Landscapes"—offers a glimpse into early 18th-century design practices. Created around 1700–1730, it served as a preparatory sketch for commemorative wall plaque, blending ornamental architecture with funerary art. Larciani, recognized for his landscape works, here showcases his versatility in the realm of decorative drawings, highlighting the era's emphasis on intricate, site-specific memorials for churches or noble tombs. Executed in pen and brown ink with subtle brush washes in gra...
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...