One of the first examples of a dome decorated with painted figures and architectural elements, was made by Melozzo da Forlì between 1477 and 1479 for the sacristy of San Marco in the Sanctuary of the Holy House in Loreto,
This is, as already mentioned, one of the first examples of a dome decorated with figures and architectural elements, decorative themes strongly influenced by Andrea Mantegna’s Camera Picta in Mantua. The project foresaw the arrangement of a series of figures inside the basin, foreshortened for a correct view from below, and inserted in frames with fake stucco reliefs, so that the painted architecture seemed to be a continuation of the real architecture.
The vault has an architectural skeleton painted with ribs and frames converging towards the top of the dome that frame windows open to the sky and in correspondence of which there are eight Angels with wings outstretched and bearing the Symbols of the Passion. Above is a crown of angels and cherubs that frame the coat of arms of the client surrounded by a festoon. At the base of the drum of the dome are a series of Prophets represented seated on a painted cornice. On the wall below there is the Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, enclosed within a centred frame. The figures seem to fit perfectly into the painted architecture, offering an example of fifteenth-century perspective skill that earned Melozzo the recognition of great perspective by Vasari.
