Sketch for a Fountain; verso: Penis c. 1540

Curator: This intriguing drawing, housed at the Harvard Art Museums, is entitled "Sketch for a Fountain; verso: Penis" by Giovan Angelo Montorsoli. It measures roughly 12 by 17 centimeters. What's your initial take? Editor: Immediately, I sense a powerful tension! The mythical figures straining under the weight of the fountain basin evoke such emotional and physical burden. Curator: The figures are indeed compelling. These hybrid forms—part man, part sea creature—recall ancient mythological symbols of power and transformation. They bear the weight of civilization, quite literally. Editor: Absolutely! And the phallic sketch on the verso… a raw life-force contrasting with the refined burden of the fountain design. It's a delicious duality. Curator: It could represent a symbolic tension between overt classical ideals, versus the hidden desires and energies pulsing beneath the surface of Renaissance society. Editor: A vital reminder that even in idealized forms, primal energies persist, beautifully sketched here in simple ink. Curator: I find myself contemplating the continuity of such archetypes, enduring through ages. Editor: Leaving me wondering how many unspoken truths are etched onto the back of our grandest creations!