The Virgin and Child with Saint Martina

This drawing, made in pen and ink by the leading artist of the Roman Baroque Pietro da Cortona, was preparatory for a painting featuring The Virgin with Christ Child and Saint Martina now in the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth (inv. AP 1984.07, oil on canvas, 70 x 58 cm). In this composition, Saint Martina, a third-century martyr who was put to death for refusing to worship idols, gazes at the Christ Child while holding the forked iron hook with which she was tortured, and accepting the palm of martyrdom. The painting and the related drawing are generally dated to1643-45 ca. Cortona was particularly devoted to the cult of the Roman martyr Saint Martina, whose remains were found in 1634 during excavations undertaken for the artist's own tomb in the crypt of the church of the Accademia di San Luca, Rome. The discovery of the relics led to the rebuilding of the entire church, under Cortona's direction as architect, which was then dedicated to Saints Luke and Martina. Jörg Martin Merz (see here bibliography) dates this sheet to 1643 due to its similarities in handling and draftsmanship with a second preparatory drawing in the Morgan Library (inv. 1985.81). Cortona produced several variations on this subject for an engraving dedicated to Cardinal Francesco Barberini, for which the Morgan drawing may be a preparatory drawing. In the engraving the composition is shown in reverse. (F.R.)