The Virgin in prayer looking down, in an oval frame, after Reni
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 15 in. × 11 9/16 in. (38.1 × 29.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.4584
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil gaze of *The Virgin in Prayer Looking Down*, visitors encounter a masterful 17th-century engraving by François de Poilly, faithfully reproducing a devotional image originally painted by the eminent Bolognese Baroque artist Guido Reni. between 1640 and 1693, this print captures the Virgin Mary in a moment of quiet piety, her head bowed within an elegant oval frame that enhances its intimate, meditative quality. Reni, a leading figure of the Baroque era, was renowned for his graceful, idealized religious figures that blended classical serenity with emotional depth, making his wor...
About the Artist
Guido Reni|Francois de Poilly|Francois de Poilly · 1575–1642
Guido Reni (1575–1642) was one of the most celebrated Italian painters of the Baroque era and the dominant figure of the Bolognese School. Born into a family of musicians in Bologna, he trained first with Denys Calvaert before joining the influential Accademia degli Incamminati led by Ludovico Carracci. Reni achieved international fame through his idealizing style that combined Baroque dynamism wi...