The Martyrdom of Saint James
Artist
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino)
(Italian, 1591 - 1666)
Date1627
MediumPen, ink, paper
DimensionsOverall: 7 7/8 x 10 1/4 in. (20 x 26 cm)
ClassificationsEuropean art
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number50.48.88
Terms
- Brown
On View
Not on viewLabel TextGiovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino Italian (1591-1666) The Martyrdom of Saint James, 1627 Pen and brown ink, brown wash Museum purchase 50.48.88 In 1627 Guercino was contracted to paint the Martyrdom of Saint James for the Church of Saints Peter and Prospero in Reggio Emilia. Following his customary working method, he perfected the design for the altarpiece in a number of preliminary drawings, including the present sheet. In the drawing Guercino depicts the grisly moment following the saint's decapitation, when the executioner, his sword abandoned in the foreground, unties his victim's hands. Another prisoner, kneeling at left, awaits a similar fate. Among the greatest of Italy's early Baroque painters, Guercino is also celebrated as one of the premier draftsmen of the 17th century. With its calligraphic pen strokes and brilliant use of ink wash, the Chrysler's sketch proves the point to spectacular effect.
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino)
1624
