Study for Angels Sealing the Foreheads of the Children of Israel in Saint Peter's Basilica
Composed of three joined sheets, this magisterial design represents a vision of the Apocalypse, with the division of risen souls on the Day of Judgment. It is a study for the mosaic decoration of a dome in the right nave of Saint Peter's basilica. (The oval lantern piercing the dome is lightly indicated at the center.) Work on this important commission began in 1668, the year before Cortona's death, and was overseen by his talented pupil Ciro Ferri (1634-1689).
In 1652 Cortona was at work on cartoons for the mosaic decoration of the first three bays in the right nave of Saint Peter's Basilica. For the elliptical cupolas of these bays lie supplied scenes from the Apocalypse - the mosaic of the third cupola representing the Incensing of the Fiery Altar, that of the second the Adoration of the Lamb. These two mosaics had been completed by the time he began, in 1668, the cartoons for the cupola of the first bay, representing Angels Scaling the Foreheads of the Children of Israel (Revelation 7), but the mosaic of this last subject was finished only after Cortona's death, under the supervision of Ciro Ferri (1634-1689; see here "References" for further bibliography on this project).
This large drawing, made up of three sheets of paper joined vertically, gives us the essential narrative passages of Corrona's dramatic rendering of the apocalyptic vision, and the opening of the oval lantern is indicated in black chalk at the upper center of the design. Here, at the end of his career, the artist abandons pen and chalk; brush with wash suffices to indicate the surging movement of the figures. An engraving of the mosaic cupola in the first bay by F. Aquila, published in 1695, names Ciro Ferri as the designer of the composition, but the testimony of this drawing, certainly by Cortona, makes it clear that Ferri's role was probably limited to supervising the completion of his master's project. However, Nicholas Turner has recently identified in Siena (Biblioteca Comunale, vol. S. 2. 5, folio 46, recto) a black chalk drawing in Ciro Ferri's typical, scribbly hand that is a study for a group of figures in the mosaic. Ferri's figures come closer to the finished mosaic than to the Cortona project at the Metropolitan Museum.
In 1652 Cortona was at work on cartoons for the mosaic decoration of the first three bays in the right nave of Saint Peter's Basilica. For the elliptical cupolas of these bays lie supplied scenes from the Apocalypse - the mosaic of the third cupola representing the Incensing of the Fiery Altar, that of the second the Adoration of the Lamb. These two mosaics had been completed by the time he began, in 1668, the cartoons for the cupola of the first bay, representing Angels Scaling the Foreheads of the Children of Israel (Revelation 7), but the mosaic of this last subject was finished only after Cortona's death, under the supervision of Ciro Ferri (1634-1689; see here "References" for further bibliography on this project).
This large drawing, made up of three sheets of paper joined vertically, gives us the essential narrative passages of Corrona's dramatic rendering of the apocalyptic vision, and the opening of the oval lantern is indicated in black chalk at the upper center of the design. Here, at the end of his career, the artist abandons pen and chalk; brush with wash suffices to indicate the surging movement of the figures. An engraving of the mosaic cupola in the first bay by F. Aquila, published in 1695, names Ciro Ferri as the designer of the composition, but the testimony of this drawing, certainly by Cortona, makes it clear that Ferri's role was probably limited to supervising the completion of his master's project. However, Nicholas Turner has recently identified in Siena (Biblioteca Comunale, vol. S. 2. 5, folio 46, recto) a black chalk drawing in Ciro Ferri's typical, scribbly hand that is a study for a group of figures in the mosaic. Ferri's figures come closer to the finished mosaic than to the Cortona project at the Metropolitan Museum.
Artwork Details
- Title: Study for Angels Sealing the Foreheads of the Children of Israel in Saint Peter's Basilica
- Artist: Pietro da Cortona (Pietro Berrettini) (Italian, Cortona 1596–1669 Rome)
- Date: 1652
- Medium: Black chalk, brush with brown and gray wash, highlighted with white gouache, on three sheets of brownish paper glued with overlapping joints
- Dimensions: 16-3/4 x 44-9/16 in. (42.7 x 113.2 cm) maximum, unevenly cut upper and lower borders
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1966
- Object Number: 66.134.1a–c
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.