Design for a Door Knocker

Ubaldo Gandolfi worked not only as a painter, but also as a sculptor. That he was used to thinking in three dimensions is clear from this design drawing with its emphatically rendered effect of depth. Apart from three easy to discern putti (little children or cherubs), two women's heads and a grotesque mask are concealed in this design. The sheet belongs to a group of at least six drawings by Gandolfi of ideas for splendidly decorated door knockers.