Who painted A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice?

A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice was painted by Giovanni Battista Foggini in 1688.

Where can I see A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice?

A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice?

A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice

Giovanni Battista Foggini , 1688

A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice is a chalk drawing by the Baroque artist Giovanni Battista Foggini. It dates from 1688 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: DTTKLTTH

About this work

Overview

Giovanni Battista Foggini’s 1688 drawing, titled A Monstrance with Two Angels Supporting a Chalice, is executed in black chalk, pen and brown ink on laid paper. The composition presents a chalice elevated by two angels, whose wings are outstretched and whose heads are inclined upward in reverence.

Subject & Meaning

The central chalice, a traditional symbol of the Eucharist, is framed by the angels, whose luminous halos suggest divine illumination. Their gestures of support and adoration convey a visual meditation on the sacred act of offering, emphasizing the interplay between heavenly intercessors and the holy vessel.

Technique & Style

Foggini employs bold, confident lines of black chalk combined with fine pen work and brown ink washes, creating a dynamic contrast between light and shadow. The drawing’s energetic strokes and dramatic chiaroscuro reflect Baroque sensibilities, while the precise rendering of the angels’ wings and the ornamental base demonstrate the artist’s skill in rendering texture on laid paper.

History & Provenance

Created in 1688, the work belongs to Foggini’s early period, when he was active in Florence as a sculptor and draftsman. The drawing has remained in private collections before entering a public holding in the early twentieth century, where it is catalogued as a representative example of his devotional studies.