Pintoricchio ("the little painter") is part of the trio of major artists with Perugino and Raphael who emerged from the Central Italian Papal states during the late fifteenth century. This large design for a lunette constitutes an important graphic testament to Renaissance draftsmanship and a cornerstone of Pintoricchio's extremely rare graphic catalogue, numbering only a few surviving sheets. Flanked by two angels, Saint Matthew is seated holding a quill and seeking divine inspiration for his Gospel. Drawn in pen and ink, the three figures emerge from the sheet with near-sculptural presence through a network of cross-hatched ink lines. The figures sit atop a horizontal frieze or grottesca, a decorative element taken from the ancient Roman murals of the Domus Aurea, unearthed in Pintoricchio's time. At the center of this frieze is the Cardinal Domenico della Rovere's (1442-1501) coat of arms, indicating this design was used for a prestigious commission for the Cardinal's Roman palace. (Furio Rinaldi)