Cast of the left side of the decorated dado of the tomb of Ascanio Sforza

From: Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome

RA Collection: Art

On free display in Green Room - South Dining Room

The cast is of the left side of the dado beneath the sarcophagus of the tomb monument of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza (1455-1505). The tomb of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza is in Santa Maria del Popolo (Rome) and was made by Andrea Sansovino in 1505. Sansovino was heavily influenced by the panels of the Ara Pacis and the monumental pilasters of similar date found in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century in Rome. The scrolls, the flowers, and the lizard all derive from these models.

This cast was probably part of the collection of Thomas Lawrence which was acquired by the Royal Academy in 1830. The Royal Academy also has cast of the complete dado panel, as does the Soane Museum.