Alonso Cano
1601-1667
The Virgin of Mercy in a Trompe l'Oeil Architectural Surround with an Eagle below
ca. 1667
8 7/8 x 6 3/8 inches (226 x 162 mm)
Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk on laid paper.
1974.45
Purchased on the Fellows Fund with the special assistance of Mrs. James J. Rorimer.
Notes
Watermark: none.
Possibly connected with Cano's project for the facade of the Granada Cathedral, of which he was appointed architect in May 1667.
This drawing depicts the Virgin of Mercy in a trompe l'oeil architectural surround, with an eagle below. While its attribution to Cano has been questioned, the sheet may be connected to his design for the facade of Granada cathedral, a project only realized after his death. The Virgin of Mercy, who shelters the faithful under her cloak, is relatively uncommon in seventeenth-century Spanish art outside of Catalonia. Nevertheless, the drawing may have been intended as a modello for one of the cathedral's sculpted reliefs. --Exhibition Label, from "Visions and Nightmares: Four Centuries of Spanish Drawings"
Possibly connected with Cano's project for the facade of the Granada Cathedral, of which he was appointed architect in May 1667.
This drawing depicts the Virgin of Mercy in a trompe l'oeil architectural surround, with an eagle below. While its attribution to Cano has been questioned, the sheet may be connected to his design for the facade of Granada cathedral, a project only realized after his death. The Virgin of Mercy, who shelters the faithful under her cloak, is relatively uncommon in seventeenth-century Spanish art outside of Catalonia. Nevertheless, the drawing may have been intended as a modello for one of the cathedral's sculpted reliefs. --Exhibition Label, from "Visions and Nightmares: Four Centuries of Spanish Drawings"
Inscriptions/Markings
Inscribed in pen and brown ink at lower left, "Alo [o superscript] Co [o superscript]".
Associated names
Stirling Maxwell, William, Sir, 1818-1878, former owner.
Rorimer, James J. (James Joseph), Mrs., donor.
Rorimer, James J. (James Joseph), Mrs., donor.
Bibliography
Ryskamp, Charles, ed. Seventeenth Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library, 1972-1974. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1976, p. 157.
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
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