S. Maria in Trastevere, Ionic capital, side elevation (recto); Unidentified, Ionic capital volute, construction diagram (verso)
early to mid-16th century
Medium
Dark brown ink, black chalk, and incised lines
Dimensions
sheet: 8 3/4 x 11 9/16 in. (22.2 x 29.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and Mark J. Millard Gift, 1968
Accession Number
68.769.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate 16th-century drawing created by an anonymous French artist captures the side elevation of an Ionic capital the basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere Rome on its recto side. Ionic capitals, with their signature volutes resembling scrolling rams' horns, originated in ancient Greek architecture and were revived during the Renaissance as symbols of classical harmony and proportion. The verso features a precise construction diagram of an unidentified Ionic capital volute, the artist's methodical approach to understanding and replicating these ornate elements. Executed in dark brown i...