Design for an Epitaph 1652 - 1725

This pen and brown wash drawing on paper, made by Giovanni Battista Foggini, captures a design for an epitaph, a commemorative inscription often found on a tomb or monument. The drawing reveals the artist’s process, with lines laid down to define form and space. The monument is framed with a decorative arrangement of volutes, moldings, and portrait medallions, all rendered with the light touch of an accomplished draftsman. The design's material qualities – the potential for carving stone, the weight and presence of the proposed monument, and the skill involved in production – are embedded in the drawing itself. The design's social significance lies in its function: to memorialize and celebrate the lives of the deceased. The epitaph would require the labor of quarrymen, stonecutters, and sculptors, connecting artistic vision with a wide network of skilled craftspeople. Paying attention to the materials, the making, and the social context allows us to appreciate the design as more than just a sketch. It’s a window into the cultural values and the collaborative work that shaped commemorative practices in Foggini's time.