Studies for Saint John the Evangelist, The Virgin, and Mary Magdalen at the Foot of the Cross
Artist
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino)
(Italian, 1591 - 1666)
Date1624
MediumPen , ink, paper
DimensionsOverall: 8 3/4 x 10 1/8 in. (22.2 x 25.7 cm)
ClassificationsEuropean art
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number50.48.87
Terms
- Crucifixion
- Mary Magdalene
- Jesus Christ
- Brown
On View
Not on viewLabel TextGiovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino Italian (1591-1666) Studies for Saint John the Evangelist, the Virgin, and Mary Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross, 1624 Pen and brown ink, brown wash Museum purchase 50.48.87 In 1624 Guercino was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the Church of the Madonna della Chiara in Reggio Emilia, a Crucifixion with the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Prospero, the Bishop Saint of Reggio. The altarpiece, which still hangs in the church, was one of Guercino's most important early projects. To prepare for it, he produced a number of preparatory drawings in which he experimented with the poses of the figures. The present sheet must have been one of the earliest of these drawings, since the figures' poses here differ considerably from those used by the artist in the finished painting. In the drawing, the Virgin (with head lowered) and the Magdalene stand as though at either side of the cross, while in the painting the two are placed together on the left, the Magdalene upholding the swooning Virgin. In the drawing, the kneeling Saint John embraces the foot of the cross, yet in the painting he kneels at left, some distance from the cross.
