Abstract

The author presents a newly discovered architectural drawing which shows one of the two identical portals in the reading room of the Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence. The drawing is attributed to Michelangelo by the author and compared with two other drawings by the artist, one of which connects the Cloister with the vestibule of the Library and another that leads from the vestibule to the reading room. The present drawing has close visual similarities with both the drawings generally accepted as Michelangelo’s. However, it is distinguished by a double pediment that combines a triangular structure with a rounded one. In addition, it is designed in a perspectival manner that takes into account the depth of the opening and of its pediment. All three drawings have the same overall proportions, corresponding to the ›divina proportione‹. The openings in the three drawings have a quotient that is identical with the square root of five. The handwriting within the opening appears to be identical with Michelangelo’s hand.

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