Object number1941.4
The Presentation in the Temple
Date1627
Artist
Guercino
(Italian, 1591-1666)
MediumPen and brown ink with brown wash on tan paper
DimensionsMatted: 15 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. (39.37 x 54.61 cm)
Sheet: 10 7/16 x 15 3/16 in. (26.51 x 38.58 cm)
Sheet: 10 7/16 x 15 3/16 in. (26.51 x 38.58 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
On View
Not on viewPeriod17th c
Classification(s)
InscribedInscribed (LR, in another hand): (rembrant signature); (UL): L. l F.223 solo; (LL, collector's stamp): DFP (Dan Fellows Platt); L. 34 - Colnaghi 1922 - Loan e d to Smith 1925 - to Princeton 1928
Markingsnone visible
ProvenancePurchased, from Schaeffer Gallery 1941, for $160; Collections: Dan Fellows PlattVassar Exhibitions
Exhibition HistoryPoughkeepsie, New York, FLLAC(Prints and Drawings Gallery), Vassar College, "Revealed Anew: Selections from Permanent Collections," 7 November - 4 January 2008.Poughkeepsie, NY, FLLAC, Vassar College, "An Exhibition in Memory of Agnes Rindge Claflin 1900-1977," April 30 - June 4, 1978.
DescriptionThis superb drawing by the prolific Bolognese Baroque artist known as Guer- cino (the ‘Squinter’) is a preliminary study for one of the frescoed lunettes in the cupola of the cathedral at Piacenza. The entire project was executed be- tween May of 1626 and November of 1627. Guercino’s best drawings demonstrate the lively and sure-handed feeling found in this one. In this drawing, the exceptional flourishes of the pen line and the quick and confid- ent application of the wash create a monumental feeling. The drawing once belonged to Dan Fellows Platt, an important collector of Guercino’s draw- ings and a major donor to Princeton University. Vassar College was at the forefront of art museums that collected Baroque art in the 1930s and 1940s. Much of this interest arose from faculty members such as Agnes Rindge, whose friendships included that of A. Everett ‘Chick’ Austin, director of the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, an early evangelical voice for Baroque art. The drawing itself was bought for Vassar by Richard Krautheimer, who was then professor of art, in 1941.
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