Study for the Allegory of Religion
Medium
Red chalk, glued onto a light cardboard mount.
Dimensions
4 13/16 x 7 1/16in. (12.2 x 18cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1964
Accession Number
64.197.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
Pietro da Cortona (6–1669), a figure of the Roman Baroque, created this delicate *Study for the Allegory Religion* between 1629 and 1639, during his rise as a master of grand fresco cycles and illusionistic decoration. Working in Rome under powerful patrons like the Barberini, Cortona blended classical antiquity with dramatic movement, influencing the High Baroque style. This preparatory drawing captures his fluid approach to allegorical themes, where religion is personified—likely through graceful female figures, as suggested by its tags—symbolizing faith's triumph in an era of Counter-Reform...
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'...