Italy, Bologna / 1615–17
Venus and Cupid in a Chariot
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Venus and Cupid in a Chariot as drawing (Italy, Bologna · 1615–17).
Two miniscule female forms appear at the bottom edge of the sheet and may pertain to an earlier idea for the composition or to one of many other compositions Guercino conceived for the commission.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this drawing as Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash over red chalk and credits Guercino (Italian, 1591–1666).
The museum's collection notes: Giovanni Francesco Barbiere, called Guercino, was a prolific draftsman who used drawing not only to prepare for his many painting commissions but also to record and explore his ideas for future use. This preparatory drawing, made early in his career, reflects Guercino's nonlinear preparatory process and his simultaneous work on different compositions. It relates in format to the painted decoration at the Casa Pannini in his native town of Cento, but it features Venus instead of Diana as in the finished fresco. Guercino's combination of rapid and sure pen lines with ink wash, applied with expert variegation to create deep shadows and bright hi
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtVenus and Cupid in a ChariotOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.