A Cardinal's Procession
Medium
Oil on copper
Dimensions
15 1/2 x 14 3/4 in. (39.4 x 37.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Damon Mezzacappa, 2012
Accession Number
2012.543
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the intricate splendor of *A Cardinal's Procession* (1621) by Ottavio Leoni, known as Il Padovano, a masterful Italian artist renowned for his precise portraiture during the early Baroque era. This small yet captivating oil on copper panel (15½ × 14¾ in.) captures a solemn ecclesiastical procession led by a cardinal, evoking the pomp and piety of Counter-Reformation Rome. Leoni, active in the papal city, deftly renders the richly attired men in flowing robes and ceremonial hats, their figures winding through an urban setting—a vivid snapshot of 17th-century Catholic ritual and hierarchy...