unknown - Project for a tabernacle intended to be executed in bronze - 1575–1600 - T-Shirt

This pen and brown ink design sets a domed tabernacle on a circular colonnade, with a central shrine and two kneeling figures before it.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is built from pale parchment tones, sepia brown ink and dark umber accents. A ring of Corinthian columns carries an entablature and a hemispherical dome topped by a small lantern. Standing statues line the dome's rim, with winged and draped forms spaced evenly around it. Inside the colonnade, a cylindrical shrine rises on a plinth with its own small dome, placing the sacred centre at the heart of the composition. Below, two kneeling figures in long robes face the shrine across a decorated ledge.

Meaning & Symbolism

A tabernacle of this kind served as a sacred enclosure for consecrated elements or a relic. The circular plan and dome recall ideal temple forms as Renaissance architects understood them. The kneeling figures express devotion and offering, while the statues on the dome add a sense of celebration and heavenly presence. The drawing was prepared for execution in bronze, a material valued for its durability and richness in sacred metalwork. It dates from around 1575 to 1600, when Italian and Northern European architects and goldsmiths planned many altars and shrines on paper before casting them.

Designed for the Wearer's Chest

The shrine sits at the centre of the composition, so it lands where the eye settles when the tee is worn. The colonnade wraps the middle of the design like a ring, while the dome crowns the upper section and the kneeling figures sit low, closest to the hem. Each part of the drawing stays legible at a glance, which suits a print meant to be read from a distance as well as up close.