Birth of the Virgin
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, heightened with white oil paint, on brown laid paper, laid down on cream laid paper
Dimensions
16 × 23.2 cm (6 5/16 × 9 3/16 in.)
Classification
ink or chalk wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81955
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, *Birth of the Virgin*,ails from the School ofichino, the workshop of the renowned 17th-century Italian Baroque artist Domenico Zampieri (1581–1641). Domenichino, a key figure in the Bolognese reform of painting influenced by the Carracci brothers, was celebrated for his graceful figures and narrative scenes. Works from his school often capture religious subjects like the Nativity of Mary with tender humanism, blending classical poise and emotional depth typical of early Baroque draftsmanship. Though undated, it reflects the devotional art popular in Counter-Reformation I...