Tommaso Mattei, a pupil of Carlo Fontana and Carlo Rainaldi, was active in Rome during the Baroque period. As the architect of the Ospedale di Santo Spirito at the end of the 17th century and between 1707 and 1717, he is credited with the redesign of the Lancisiana Library, including its wooden shelving resting on a marble base. The shelving consists of a continuous series of armaria arranged in two tiers, separated by a cornice. Above this, a wrought-iron railing runs along the upper level, accessible via a spiral staircase.
