Design for a free-standing structure

1540

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Dominant colour

Design for a free-standing structure is a 1540 by Unknown, a Renaissance work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1540 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This drawing shows an ornate free-standing structure. It’s full of curves and swirls, like a fancy gazebo from a fairy tale. The artist is unknown. That’s the fun part—no one knows who drew this. It’s often mixed up with designs by a famous French architect, but experts aren’t sure. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more like this.

The story of this work

Overview

A design for a free-standing structure features a central quadrangular column connected by arches to two flanking columns, all positioned on an irregular lozenge-shaped platform. The drawing is adorned with figures including satyrs, Roman soldiers, and at least one identifiable cupid. The attribution remains uncertain, with past suggestions including Federico Zuccaro, Etienne Delaune, and Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, though later analysis disputes these attributions. The work is part of a group of similar drawings, including two held in the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, suggesting a shared…

Read the full account in the museum source.