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Sansovino sculpted the monumental tombs of Cardinals Ascanio Sforza and Girolamo Basso della Rovere (who died in 1505 and 1507, respectively). The tombs were commissioned by Pope Julius II for the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, remodeled by Bramante from Sixtus IV's original church with the help of Pinturicchio.
The tombs adopt a theme of Etruscan origin, with the deceased leaning on the sarcophagus. They have an insistent classical language, from the architectural plan to the triumphal arch with its minute decorative detail. Vasari picked out for special praise the statue of Temperance "which for its excellence appears more antique than modern." In the atmosphere of determined classicism this was a significant judgment.
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