The Persian Sibyl is a 1647 oil on canvas painting of the Persian Sibyl by Guercino, now in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
The Persian Sibyl is a 1647 oil on canvas painting of the Persian Sibyl by Guercino, now in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
It was commissioned between 1645 and 1647 by Carlo Rondinelli, governor of Cento. [1] The first definite mention of it is in the painter's account book, which shows the moment of payment for it on completion - 259 lire were paid, equal to just over 64 scudi. The date was two weeks after the completion of his The Phrygian Sibyl, commissioned for Girolamo Albergati, Bologna's ambassador to Rome, now in an English private collection: [2] "On 6 June. Received from Sig. Co. Carlo Rondingelli Gov.re di Cento dopie d'Italia n. 17 1⁄2 [for] the Painting of the Persian Sibyl, which makes 259 lire - which was 64 scudi, 3 lire". [1] The artist also painted The Libyan Sibyl (Royal Collection) and The Samian Sibyl (private collection) as a pair in 1651, along with another The Samian Sibyl in 1652-1653 (Palazzo Reale, Genoa).
The work entered the Pio di Savoia collection in the mid 17th century, acquired by cardinal Carlo Francesco between 1655 and 1663, during his time as papal legate to Ferrara, Rondinelli's birthplace. [1] It was then displayed in 1697 as part of an annual display at San Salvatore in Lauro in Rome, entitled "A Sibyl by Guercino". [2] It was still in the Pio collection in a 1724 inventory before being bought with the rest of the Pio collection by Pope Benedict XIV in 1750 for the city of Rome and its new Museo del Campidoglio (now the Musei Capitolini). [1] The work then fell into obscurity for over 200 years due to several revarnishings which had deteriorated and it was even downgraded to a studio work by the brothers Cesare and Bartolomeo Gennari. [1] The true attribution was only restored after a restoration in 1990-1991 which especially improved the visibility of the signature. [2]
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, better known as Guercino, or il Guercino[ɡwerˈtʃiːno], was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vigorous naturalism of his early manner contrasts with the classical equilibrium of his later works. His many drawings are noted for their luminosity and lively style.
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Annunciation is a 1646 oil on canvas painting by Guercino, now in the collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Pieve di Cento, a few kilometres from the painter's birthplace of Cento. The artist used the same colours for Mary's clothes in his 1656 Immaculate Conception, along with the face of God.
The Dying Cleopatra or The Death of Cleopatra is a c. 1648 oil on canvas painting by Guercino, now in the Palazzo Rosso in Genoa.
The Suicide of Cato is a 1641 oil on canvas painting, now in the Palazzo Rosso in Genoa.
Saint Matthew and the Angel is a 1621-1622 oil on canvas painting, produced by Guercino during his early years in Rome and now in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.
Venus, Cupid and Mars is a 1633 oil on canvas painting by Guercino, commissioned by Francesco I d'Este for his Ducal Palace of Sassuolo around 1632-1633, when the artist was in that city to paint portraits of the d'Este family. It is now in the Galleria Estense in Modena.
The Libyan Sibyl is a 1651 oil on canvas painting by Guercino. It is now in the Royal Collection, in which it was first recorded in 1790, though it had probably been purchased in Italy by Richard Dalton for George III in the early 1760s.
Saint Sebastian is a c.1615 oil on canvas painting by Guido Reni, now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. It is one of three similar treatments of the subject produced by the artist - the others are now in the Palazzo Rosso in Genoa (c.1615) and another in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence.