Draft letter to don Giovanni Corno, with an eye and disk study
A business letter over a commission, beside pen sketches and literary excerpts
At the lower left, written in an ordinary (non-mirror) hand, is a draft letter addressed to 'Reverend messer don Giovanni Corno, brother', reporting that the writer has settled a matter with master Zacaria and that no money is to pass between them regarding certain paintings. Small pen drawings include an eye at upper right and a shallow oval disk at center, with the numbers 340 and 20 noted above. The right half of the sheet carries further mirror-written text, not transcribed here, which the catalogue links to excerpts from Petrarch's Trionfi and from Ovid.
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Draft letter about a commission and money
The letter addresses 'Reverend messer don Giovanni Corno, brother' and says the writer spoke to master Zacaria about the matter and made him content with the arrangement wanted, regarding the commission held from the parties. It states that no money is to pass between them, in respect of the paintings of the... — breaking off mid-sentence.
Eye and oval disk
A small eye is drawn at the upper right and a shallow oval disk, shaded with wavy lines, lies at the center of the sheet; a larger oval basin is outlined at the left. The numbers 340 and 20 are noted beside the eye. The pairing of eye and disk suggests a study of vision or of a reflecting surface.
Literary excerpts in mirror script
The right half of the sheet is filled with mirror-written text not included in the transcription. The holding catalogue associates this material with passages from Petrarch's Trionfi and from Ovid on time, virtue and fame. Further untranscribed writing is therefore present on the sheet.