Birth of the Virgin
c. 1784
Medium
Pen and brown ink with pen and brown wash, over traces of graphite, heightened with white gouache (discolored), on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
42 × 56 cm (16 9/16 × 22 1/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
194756
Art Historical Context
Giuseppe Cades, a Italian artist of the late 18th century, captures a tender moment in religious history with *Birth of the Virgin* (c. 1784). This preparatory drawing depicts the nativity of the Virgin Mary, a scene drawn from apocryphal texts celebrating her miraculous birth to the elderly Joachim and Anna. Working in Rome during the Neoclassical era, Cades blended classical clarity with emotional depth, reflecting the period's revival of antiquity and devotion to sacred narratives. Executed in pen and brown ink with brown wash over faint graphite traces, the work is heightened with white g...