Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Louis of France Venerating an Image of the Virgin
Medium
Pen and brown ink, on beige paper
Dimensions
sheet: 9 5/16 x 6 3/8 in. (23.6 x 16.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1987
Accession Number
1987.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this delicate pen and brown ink drawing from around 1618, Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), a leading Bolognese artist of the early Baroque period, captures a moment of profound devotion. Saint Francis of Assisi, the humble founder of the Franciscan order, kneels alongside Saint Louis of France, the pious 13th-century king, as they venerate an image of the Virgin Mary. Created on beige paper (9 5/16 x 6 3/8 in.), the work exemplifies Guercino's mastery of line, with fluid, expressive strokes conveying spiritual intensity and humility. Guercino, trained in Bologna amid the Carracci fa...
About the Artist
Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) · 1591–1666
Guercino — the nickname meaning "squint-eyed" — was born Giovanni Francesco Barbieri in Cento, near Ferrara, in 1591. Largely self-taught in his early years, he absorbed the dramatic chiaroscuro of Ludovico Carracci's work in Bologna and the naturalistic innovations spreading from Caravaggio's circle, forging from these influences a highly personal style of extraordinary expressive power. By his e...