Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence

1720/1724

Paolo Gerolamo Piola

Associated Names
Paolo Gerolamo Piola

Artist, Italian, 1666 - 1724

This is a drawing of a scene set in an ancient amphitheater. Various classical figures are depicted engaging in different activities. A central character lies on a raised platform, surrounded by expressive figures. Above, winged figures are seen floating on clouds. The arches of the amphitheater are filled with observing figures. The characters are dressed in ancient Roman or Greek attire, and the drawing uses strong contrasts of light and shadow.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink with brown wash and black chalk, heightened with white gouache on gray-blue laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Purchased as the Gift of Andrea Woodner

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 34.6 × 49.2 cm (13 5/8 × 19 3/8 in.)
    mount: 42.5 × 29 cm (16 3/4 × 11 7/16 in.)
    framed: 56.52 × 66.68 cm (22 1/4 × 26 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2019.83.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Private collection; (via Marty de Cambiaire, Paris); purchased 2019 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2019

  • Dessins Génois/Genoese Drawings. Marty de Cambiaire, Paris, 2019, 52-53, 87, 103, no. 19

2020

  • A Superb Baroque: Art in Genoa, 1600-1750, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, 2020, no. 112 (shown only in Washington, Washington venue canceled).

Bibliography

2020

  • Bober, Jonathan. A Superb Baroque: Art in Genoa, 1600-1750,Exh cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington: 316, no. 112.

Watermarks

fleur de lys?

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