Guercino_-_Assumption_of_Mary_-_Hermitage

''Assumption'' is a c. 1623 oil-on-canvas painting of the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

by the Italian artist

Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as (il) Guercino (), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vigorous n ...

, now in the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

in Saint Petersburg.

History

Its style is similar to that of the same artist's '' The Burial of St. Petronilla'', the apostles are similarly shown to those in

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

's 1617 ''Assumption'' (church of Sant'Ambrogio in Genoa) and one of the figures is identical to Guercino's ''Saint Matthew'' (Dresden). An early copy of the figure of

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...

(in the foreground in a red cloak) survives in the

Doria Pamphilj Gallery The Galleria Doria Pamphilj (often Doria Pamphilj Gallery or Doria Pamphili Gallery in English) is a large private art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, between Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entr ...

in Rome and for a time was considered as an oil sketch for the work by Guercino himself, whilst another early copy of that figure was auctioned on 25 October 1985 at Christie's in London. Commissioned by count Alessandro Tanari, it remained in his family for over 200 years. In 1841 it was acquired for the Hermitage by order of

Tsar Nicholas I Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

via Pavel Krivtsov, first secretary to the Russian Imperial embassy in Rome, with Gaetano Giordani regretting that Italy had thus lost "such a significant work by the famous artist". Malvasia CC Felsina Pittrice. ''Vite de'Pittori Bolognesi / F. Pittrice. Con aggiunte, correzioni e note inedite del medesimo autore, di Giampietro Zanotti e di altri scrittori viventi.'' - Bologna, 1841. - T. 2. - P. 288, nota 35. It arrived in Saint Petersburg the following year, although an 1840 copy made before it left is now in the Pinacoteca at the Vatican.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assumption 1623 paintings Paintings in the Hermitage Museum Paintings by Guercino