Project for a cupola interior
XVII century. Grey-brown ink, Grey-brown wash, Pencil on laid paper.Not on display
The drawing, composed of two sheets (D000145), is only half of a design for the interior of a cupola in an oval-shaped chapel, decorated with trompe-l’oeil architecture in the style of Mitelli and Colonna. In the central area, which feigns an open sky, cherubim hold an image of the Crucified Christ. They carry it in the manner of a heavenly apparition to a saint who would undoubtedly be in the missing part of the project.
In the medallions held by the cherubim between the mouldings of the lunettes, the Portuguese coat of arms is depicted. While one is portrayed with a royal crown, another one is crowned with a laurel wreath, the symbol of Justice.
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso E., Catálogo de Dibujos. Vol. I. Dibujos españoles siglos XV-XVII, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1972, p.101
