This exquisite grave slab, located on the altar’s right side, depicts Luigi Tornabuoni lying on a catafalco draped in a flowery brocade. He is holding a book in his right hand, and the position of his left arm beneath his head gives the impression that the entire figure is sleeping peacefully. The enormous two-hand sword and miniature skull rosary below the rosary symbolize the two sides of the knight: the one who holds the sword against the Muslim menace and prays.
The work is truly a sculptural masterpiece, the expressive quality and the meticulous processing of marble bring us back to the execution of a great artist whose name is unknown but the attribution dictated by Vasari who attributes it to a sculptor of the Fiesolano nicknamed Cicilia (perhaps he had worked or was born in Sicily). The frame decorated with black and white grotesque make the work even more captivating, the chromatic detachment makes it almost three -dimensional.
