Description
Pietro da Cortona drew this angelically beautiful face in a style reminiscent of the work of Renaissance master Raphael (1483–1520). Cortona's use of black chalk to develop extremely subtle effects of shading shows the technique at its most refined. He drew this sheet in preparation for a ceiling decoration, Saint Michael and Angels with the Instruments of the Passion, painted in fresco in the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella (better known as the Chiesa Nuova, or "New Church") in Rome, completed in 1633.
Provenance
Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 28 March 1979, no. 173a (as Francesco Romanelli in catalogue, attribution changed to Pietro da Cortona by date of sale). (1979); Duke Roberto Ferretti di Castelferretto, London. (1979?-1996); his sale, Christie's, London, 2 July 1996, no. 47. (1996); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1996-)
Accession Number
1996.257
Medium
black chalk
Dimensions
Sheet: 19 x 16.8 cm (7 1/2 x 6 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 31.9 x 27.6 cm (12 9/16 x 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
