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Saint Sebastian Appearing to Saint Roch (?)

Date

1632-1634

Creator

Guercino
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

In his Guercino's account book, the Libro dei Conti, maintained by Guercino's brother, Paolo Antonio Babieri, an altarpiece by Guercino is recorded as having been painted for an oratory in Nanantola (Modena), which was built in 1630 as a votive against the plague that had befallen the town. The Snite drawing is a preparatory design for the Nanantola altarpiece, which was lost when it was sold in 1796. However, a copy of the painting remains in situ. According to the Libro de Conti, Guercino received several payments for this commission from Count Antonio Maria Sertorio beginning on 27 January 1632 and ending on 11 August 1634. The altarpiece depicts the Madonna and Child, instead of the angel in the drawing, and the placement of Saints Roch and Sebastian are reversed.

The media used in the Snite drawing is typical of Guercino's. The composition depicts Saint Roch, on the left, and Saint Sebastian, on the right, with an angel sheathing a flaming sword above. A town is faintly depicted in the background, which probably represents Nonantola. The angel, a common symbol for the eradication of pestilence, harkens back to the angel with the flaming sword guarding the tree of life in Genesis.

from Coleman, Seminar in Italian Drawings (Notre Dame, 2009)

Images

This is called Saint Sebastian Appearing to Saint Roch (?) within the category of Drawings.Open in external viewer application
This is called Saint Sebastian Appearing to Saint Roch (?) within the category of Drawings.
This is called Saint Sebastian Appearing to Saint Roch (?) within the category of Drawings.
This is called Saint Sebastian Appearing to Saint Roch (?) within the category of Drawings.

Metadata

Creator
Guercino (aka Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) (Italian, 1591 - 1666)
Date
1632-1634
Classification
Drawings
Medium
Pen and brown ink on laid paper
Dimensions
8 5/8 x 6 in. (21.79 x 15.19 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John D. Reilly, ND '63, '64
Copyright Status
Public domain
Subject
religious

Metadata

Accession Number
1994.049.006
Campus Location
Raclin Murphy Museum of Art
Access

Not on view, please request access

Metadata

Contact Us

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.


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