Door of the studiolo
by ROMANO, Gian Cristoforo, Marble
The studiolo of Isabella d’Este in the Palazzo Ducale includes a splendid door inlaid with coloured marbles. The four tondi with figures carved in relief - their identification is still a matter of debate - include a female figure with military attributes, probably Minerva, a semi-nude figure with two books on her head and a skull beneath her foot, identified as an allegory of Fortune or perhaps the Muse Clio, while the other two figures, each equipped with a number of attributes, must be the Muses Euterpe and Erato.