ticketsMember | Make a donation

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42)

ca. 1700
Not on view
The story is told in the Gospel according to St. Luke (10:38-42). In the course of a journey with his disciples, Jesus was welcomed into the house of a woman named Martha. While she was busy with the preparations of a meal, her sister Mary sat at the Lord's feet, listening to his words instead of helping with the household tasks. This stately tableau was no doubt intended for a monumental wall fresco. It could be associated with Piola's decorations in the church of Santa Marta in Genoa. However, in the picture in the church, the figures are reduced in number and the composition has a vertical axis. Paolo Gerolamo was a Geonese painter who specialized in rather lighthearted decorative frescoes for churches and palaces. This solemn composition is something of an exception in his work, and it reveals the classicizing influence of Carlo Maratta, with whom he studied in Rome.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42)
  • Artist: Paolo Gerolamo Piola (Italian, Genoa 1666–1724 Genoa)
  • Date: ca. 1700
  • Medium: Brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over black chalk, on blue-green paper
  • Dimensions: 16 x 20-3/4 in. (40.7 x 52.7 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1983
  • Object Number: 1983.57
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Mary Magdalen Buying Ointment, Paolo Gerolamo Piola Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash
Mary Magdalen Buying Ointment
Paolo Gerolamo Piola
1666–1724
Standing Figure of Apollo with a Lyre, Paolo Gerolamo Piola Italian, Brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over traces of charcoal, on blue paper; traces of squaring in charcoal
Standing Figure of Apollo with a Lyre
Paolo Gerolamo Piola
1666–1724
Scene with Four Figures of Monks Discoursing, Paolo Gerolamo Piola Italian, Brush and brown wash, highlighted with white, over charcoal, on blue-gray paper
Scene with Four Figures of Monks Discoursing
Paolo Gerolamo Piola
1666–1724
Youth Playing a Pipe for a Satyr, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto) Italian, Brush with colored oil paint; paper partly saturated with oil; lined
Youth Playing a Pipe for a Satyr
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Il Grechetto)
1645–50
Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, Giovanni Paolo Panini Italian, Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash, watercolor, over graphite
Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti
Giovanni Paolo Panini
ca. 1756–58

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

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.