Design for the Decoration of a Lunette with a Large Central Cartouche 1498 - 1561

This design by Battista Franco, a prominent artist of the Italian Renaissance, shows a lunette, or a decorative architectural element in the form of a half-circle, filled with figures and ornate scrolling designs. Created between 1498 and 1561, this drawing exemplifies Franco's mastery of composition and the elegant style that he brought to the Renaissance decorative arts. Its intricate details and use of light and shadow would have been intended for a painted design, making this piece a valuable insight into the processes of a sixteenth-century artist. The drawing is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.