Aufsteigendes Ornament, unten zwischen zwei Harpyien eine Faunsmaske, darüber zwei Jünglinge, die einen Schild halten 

Pellegrino Tibaldi made this drawing of pen and brown ink with brown wash on paper. The effect is of a low relief carving, a kind of proto-sculpture. Tibaldi was deeply engaged with the materiality of architecture, often working in fresco and stucco. Here, he translates that sensibility into drawing. The careful hatching and shading give a sense of sculpted depth to the figures and ornamentation. You can almost feel the weight and texture of the stone or plaster he's imagining. Drawings like this were not merely preparatory sketches. They served as demonstration pieces, ways for artists to show off their skills and attract commissions. Tibaldi is demonstrating his understanding of classical forms, combined with his virtuosity as a draughtsman. The drawing then is both a design and a sample of labor. Ultimately, appreciating Tibaldi's drawing means understanding how closely linked drawing, architecture, and sculpture were at this time. It collapses distinctions between media, revealing the common threads of design, skill, and intellectual ambition that ran through them all.