Sir John Hawksworth Fresco in the Santa Maria del Fiore, Firenze

This trompe d'oeil fresco of an equestrian statue of Sir John Hawksworth was painted by Paolo Uccello in 1436. The fresco uses perspective in order to deceive the eye into believing that it is three dimensional. Sir John Hawkwood (1320-1394) was an English mercenary who fought against Florence until the city paid him off whereupon he became commander of the Florentine armies and saved the city from Milanese invasion. This funerary fresco, painted over forty years after his death, was cheaper than a real bronze statue. The fresco was transferred to canvass in the 19th century.

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