Saint Joseph Seen with his Flowering Staff, which is Held by the Christ Child
The style of this drawing is comparable to that of other autograph sheets in red chalk from Guercino's late period, such as that for a painting of 1661, St. Theresa Receiving a Necklace from the Virgin, in the Presence of St. Joseph, her Patron (Mahon and Ekserdjian, 1986, cat. no. 36). This drawing features carefully finished drapery with few pentimenti or loose outlines. Cupid Spurning Riches, a study for a painting of 1654-55 (Royal Library, Windsor, inv. no. 2708) [Mahon and Turner, 1989, cat. no. 129) features an infant with closely similar physiognomy and some parallel hatching for conception of the figure in space. There exists a red chalk study of the same subject (Royal Library, Windsor, inv. no. 2572), but featuring a different composition that is unconnected with a known or documented project. It is considered by Mahon and Turner to be a School drawing from which a now lost etching by Francesco Bartolozzi was published in Rome in 1764.
Artwork Details
- Title: Saint Joseph Seen with his Flowering Staff, which is Held by the Christ Child
- Artist: Attributed to Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) (Italian, Cento 1591–1666 Bologna)
- Date: 1591–1666
- Medium: Red chalk
- Dimensions: sheet: 10 3/16 x 9 1/8 in. (25.9 x 23.2 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
- Object Number: 80.3.280
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
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.