Elevation of a funerary monument for a cardinal (Sforza di Santa Fiora?)

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Material / Technique

Dimensionsh x w: 41 x 29 cm uppklistrat på underlagspapper och inramat med blått

Inventory numberNMH CC 2444

AcqusitionDonated 1941 by Eric Langenskiöld. Formerly in the Cronstedt collection, Fullerö

Other titlesTitel (sv): Väggrav med kardinalsvapen. I mitten vilar den döde i biskopsmössa på en sarkofag stödd av konsoler. T.h. en helgonstaty, troligen Johannes Döparen Titel (en): Elevation of a funerary monument for a cardinal (Sforza di Santa Fiora?) Tidigare: Funerary Monument of a Cardinal. In the centre rests the deceased, wearing a mitre, upon a sarcophagus supported by consoles. To the right the sculpture of a saint, presumably John the baptist

DescriptionRes. Katalogtext: Bortolozzi, Italian Architectural Drawings from the Cronstedt Collection, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2020 (cat.no. 143) Unknown draughtsman, second half of the 16th century Grey chalk, pen, yellow-brown ink and yellow-brown wash, 41 × 29 cm NM H CC 2444 PAPER: laid down overall on to a mounting sheet with blue paper borders attached, probably in the 18th century. WATERMARK: none visible INSCRIPTIONS: Gio[van] Batista Lorenzi Sculpt[or] F[ecit] (in pen and black ink in the socle of the monument, possibly by a later hand) MEASUREMENTS: no measurements; no scale PROVENANCE: Carl Johan Cronstedt and descendants; Eric Langenskiöld; gift to the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm 1941 BIBLIOGRAPHY: unpublished A wall tomb of three bays on a basement. Two Ionic capitals connected with garlands support a plain entablature and frame a semicircular niche. The larger central bay projects slightly and is crowned by a segmental pediment surmounted by a flaming vase. In the side bays are rectangular recessed panels. The focus of the composition is the figure of the deceased, a cardinal lying on a sarcophagus, looking at an object carried in his right hand. Above it, a cartouche surmounted by a cardinal’s hat contains the heraldic motif of a rampant lion, recalling the coat of arms of Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora (died 1564) and of his successors (Cardinal Alessandro, died 1581 and Cardinal Francesco, died1624). On the right bay stands a feminine figure, representing Faith, who directs the cardinal’s attention to the cross she holds in her left hand. The sarcophagus has a straight profile on feet below fluted brackets. The tripartite composition of the monument is a wellknown arrangement, recalling the design of a triumphal arch. Like the statue of the defunct prelate lying on a sarcophagus, one of its main models is the tomb of Julius II at San Pietro in Vincoli, initiated by Michelangelo and completed under his supervision by some of his assistants around 1545. On the base of the monument is inscribed the name of the sculptor Giovan Battista Lorenzi in capital letters. The inscription is probably by a later hand and theattribution to Battista (di Domenico) Lorenzi (Settignano 1527–28 – Pisa 1592) should probably be revised. Lorenzi was active as a sculptor mainly in Florence and Pisa. Between 1558 and 1559, during a stay in Rome, he worked on the tomb of Paul IV (now destroyed) with Vincenzo de’ Rossi, and he probably participated in the decoration of the Cesi chapel at Santa Maria della Pace, also with de’ Rossi (Utz 1973; Schallert 1998, 119–127). However, the Stockholm drawing does not show any obvious similarities to Lorenzi’s graphic oeuvre, and instead bears some comparison with a series of designs of funerary monuments for cardinals in the Staatlische Graphische Sammlung in Munich attributed to Simone and Francesco Mosca (Zeitler 2004, 142-147, Cat. nos. 44, 45, 46, and particularly 148–149, Cat.no. 47, ascribed to Francesco Mosca, c. 1565). [end]

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