Who created "The Death of Saint Francis Xavier"?

The Death of Saint Francis Xavier was created by Ciro Ferri in 1674–79.

When was "The Death of Saint Francis Xavier" created?

This artwork was created 1674–79.

What medium is "The Death of Saint Francis Xavier"?

The Death of Saint Francis Xavier is Black chalk.

Is "The Death of Saint Francis Xavier" in the public domain?

Yes, The Death of Saint Francis Xavier is in the public domain and available for free download under CC0 license.

The Death of Saint Francis Xavier

Ciro Ferri

1674–79

Medium

Black chalk

Dimensions

20-1/16 x 12-5/8 in. (51.0 x 32.0 cm)

Classification

Drawings

Department

Drawings and Prints

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Purchase, Mrs. Carl Selden and Florence and Carl Selden Foundation Gifts, 1966

Accession Number

66.9

Tags

Saint FrancisDeath

Art Historical Context

In the hushed drama of *The Death of Saint Francis Xavier (1674–79), Italian Baroque artist Ciro Fer captures a pivotal moment in the life of the renowned Jesuit missionary. Rendered black chalk on a modest sheet measuring 20-1/16 x 12-5/8 inches, this drawing from the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department the saint's final moments, likely evoking the solemnity of his death in 1552 on a remote Chinese island while spreading Christianity across Asia. Ferri, a pupil of the grand mannerist Pietro da Cortona, was renowned for his fluid draughtsmanship, and this work exemplifies h...

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...

The Death of Saint Francis Xavier

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