The Circumcision
1634–89
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over black chalk, on light brown paper
Dimensions
14 7/16 x 9 7/16in. (36.6 x 24cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Donald P. Gurney, in memory of Jacob Bean, 1991
Accession Number
1991.184.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the grand tradition of 17th-century Italian Baroque art, Cirori's *The Circumcision* (ca. 1634–1689) captures a pivotal moment from the Gospel of Luke: the ritual circumcision of the infant Jesus on his eighth day, attended by the Virgin Mary and. Ferri, a gifted pupil of Pietro da Cortona, was renowned for his dynamic frescoes and preparatory drawings that bridged painting and sculpture through vivid figural energy. This intimate scene, enriched with putti (playful cherubs) and male figures, reflects the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on emotional devotion and sacred narrative, inviting vi...
About the Artist
Ciro Ferri
Ciro Ferri (1634–1689) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver who served as the principal artistic heir and studio assistant of Pietro da Cortona, the dominant decorative painter of seventeenth-century Rome. Born in Rome, Ferri entered Cortona's workshop as a young man and proved so skilled that he became the master's most trusted collaborator, eventually taking over the completion of major c...