1623
oil
canvas
From the collection of Capitoline Museums
Dominant colour
The Burial of Saint Petronilla is a 1623 oil by Guercino, a Early Baroque Italian work, held at Capitoline Museums.
This painting shows a scene of mourning and burial. A group of people are gathered around a body, with some kneeling or standing in grief. The body is wrapped in white cloth, and a few people are touching it or holding it up. In the background, there are some stone columns and a blue sky with clouds. The painting is quite detailed, with many figures and objects visible. The colors are muted, with lots of browns, grays, and whites. There is a sense of sadness and solemnity in the scene. The artist who created this painting is Guercino.
The Burial of St. Petronilla is an altarpiece painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Guercino) around 1623. It simultaneously depicts the burial and the welcoming to heaven of the martyred Saint Petronilla. The altarpiece was painted for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, for a chapel dedicated to the saint and containing her relics. It was later transferred to the Quirinal Palace, before being taken to Paris by Napoleon's troops. Brought back to Italy by Antonio Canova, it was placed in the Capitoline Museums of Rome in 1818, where it is currently displayed. Petronilla, whose…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The painting is a portrayal of Saint Petronilla's martyrdom. The representation created by Guercino emphasizes Petronilla's devotion to God above all, but also to the Church and the reward with which she met upon her death. The painted narrative occurs on two tiers, Heaven and Earth. Petronilla is seen being lowered into her grave and at the same time entering Heaven. Both images are aligned along the central vertical axis, mirroring each other. The figures are directly involved in the actions depicted. However, the narrative representation does not exclude the congregation from its…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The lower, earthly representation of the painting leans toward the Baroque. There exists a relative clarity, the light shifts from place to place, dark shadows dissolve forms. The right corner hand of the painting dissolves into complete darkness, while light is thrown onto Petronilla and the men lowering her into her grave. The clothing of a blue robed man appears to flow in and out of darks and lights. Overall, the effect creates a sense of immediacy, the here and the now. There is a feeling of chaos and haphazard organization. Figures are cut out of the picture maintaining a feeling…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (8 February 1591 – 22 December 1666), better known as (il) Guercino (Italian pronunciation: ), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna.
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