Design for a Thesis Print with an Allegory of Knowledge and Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Barberini the Younger (1607–1671)
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over black chalk, on brown paper
Dimensions
20-1/2 x 30-3/8 in. (52.0 x 77.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1964
Accession Number
64.50
Tags
Art Historical Context
This magnificent drawing by Pietro da Cortona (6–1669), a master of the Roman Baroque, dates to around 1635 and served as a preparatory design for a thesis print. It ingeniously combines an allegory of Knowledge—symbolizing enlightenment and wisdom—with a portrait of Cardinal Antonioini the Younger (160–1671), a member of the influential Barberini family. The Barberinis, patrons under Pope Urban VIII, commissioned lavish works to celebrate their power, and Cortona's dynamic style, blending grandeur with intricate detail, epitomized the High Baroque's theatrical energy. Executed in pen and bro...
About the Artist
Pietro da Cortona (Pietro Berrettini) · 1596–1669
Pietro da Cortona, born Pietro Berrettini on November 1, 1596, in the Tuscan hill town of Cortona, emerged as one of the towering figures of Italian Baroque art, excelling as a painter, architect, and decorator. He received his early training under the Florentine painters Andrea Commodi and Baccio Ciarpi. In 1612, Commodi brought the young artist to Rome, where Pietro immersed himself in the city'...