Duke’s inlay masterpiece studio reopens

After two years of repair, infrastructure upgrades and the restoration of the original appearance of artworks, the Studiolo of Federico III da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, has reopened to the public.

The Studiolo was the duke’s private study in the 15th century Ducal Palace of Urbino. It is a masterpiece of marquetry inlay exquisitely crafted to give the illusion of realistic perspective, capturing landscapes, architecture, furniture, musical instruments, armor, allegorical figures and more in wood veneer. The striking paneling was originally crowned by portraits of 28 learned men in two rows, but half of them were removed in a 15th century renovation and are now in the Louvre Museum. The Ducal Palace couldn’t get the originals back, but they collaborated with the museum to get ultra high-resolution images of the missing portraits that were framed and returned to the walls so the Studiolo looks like it did when Federico da Montefeltro was alive.

The restoration has also led to two further significant discoveries, allowing the reintroduction into the Duke’s Apartment of what were considered major comforts of the time: the Duke’s latrine (a space for bodily needs, now fully interpreted), located in the small room adjacent to the Studiolo, and the lavish washbasin, which had been removed in the 19th century when the palace became the Prefecture’s headquarters. In the 20th century, it had been reassembled incorrectly. Even Pasquale Rotondi did not recognize that certain scattered stone elements were in fact part of a single large structure, now identified through archival documents and, in particular, thanks to the detailed views by Romolo Liverani. It was thus possible to reassemble this luxurious furnishing piece in its original position in the Duke’s bedroom, contributing—alongside the Studiolo—to restoring the original character of this essential part of the Ducal Palace apartment.