Study for a Ceiling

At the very center of this elaborate, illusionistic design for a ceiling stands the Virgin Mary, on a bank of clouds supported by three putti. She seems to float at the top of several tiers. At the bottom level, winged angels hold back fabric draped over the enormous ogee arches. Above the arches, the walls are decorated with scrolled brackets and medallions containing portrait busts. On the next level, Doric columns support an ornate coffered ceiling. The Virgin's image appears to be set into an oval panel above this ceiling.

Lattanzio Gambarra used this drawing as a preparatory study for the ceiling of a monastic church near the Italian town of Cremona. He and an architectural painter received the commission in 1568, but they probably never began the work since the whole ceiling was destroyed in 1573.