After Guido Reni
The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew
oil on unlined canvas
98 x 135,5 cm,
Private collection
Andrew the Apostle (from the early 1st century – mid to late 1st century AD), also known as Saint Andrew was a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter.
Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea. Early texts describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, and crucified on a cross of the form called crux decussata, now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" . More Andrew the Apostle
Guido Reni (4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He painted primarily religious works, but also mythological and allegorical subjects. Active in Rome, Naples, and his native Bologna, he became the dominant figure in the Bolognese School that emerged under the influence of the Carracci.
Born in Bologna into a family of musicians. At the age of nine, he was apprenticed to the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert. Soon after, he was joined in that studio by Albani and Domenichino.
Reni, Guido (Copy after)
Charity
Oil on canvas
Height: 141 cm; Width: 110 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado
Charity, in Christian thought, is the highest form of love, signifying the reciprocal love between God and man that is made manifest in unselfish love of one’s fellow men. St. Paul’s classical description of charity is found in the New Testament. More on Charity
Reni, Guido
Roman charity
Oil on canvas
116.2 by 122 cm.; 45 3/4 by 48 in.
Private collection
Roman Charity is the exemplary story of a woman, Pero, who secretly breastfeeds her father, Cimon, after he is incarcerated and sentenced to death by starvation. She is found out by a jailer, but her act of selflessness impresses officials and wins her father's release.
The story is recorded by the ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus, and was presented as a great act of filial piety and Roman honour. A painting in the Temple of Pietas depicted the scene. Among Romans, the theme had mythological echoes in Juno's breastfeeding of the adult Hercules, an Etruscan myth. More on Roman Charity
Reni, Guido
Roman Charity
Oil on canvas
98.5 by 81.2 cm.; 38 3/4 by 32 in.
Private collection
Follower Guido Reni
Allegory of Charity
Oil on canvas
96 x 81.4 cm
Private collection
Guido Reni, (Bologna 1575 -1642)
The Magdalen, c. First half of the XVII century
Oil on canvas
Height: 75 cm; Width: 62 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado
A sinner, perhaps a courtesan, Mary Magdalen was a witness of Christ who renounced the pleasures of the flesh for a life of penance and contemplation. Penitent Magdalene or Penitent Magdalen refers to a post-biblical period in the life of Mary Magdalene, according to medieval legend.
According to the tenets of the 17th–century Catholic church, Mary Magdalene was an example of the repentant sinner and consequently a symbol of the Sacrament of Penance. According to legend, Mary led a dissolute life until her sister Martha persuaded her to listen to Jesus Christ. She became one of Christ's most devoted followers and he absolved her of her former sins. More on The Penitent Magdalen
By late 1601, Reni had moved to Rome to work with the teams led by Annibale Carracci in fresco decoration of the Farnese Palace. During 1601–1604, his main patron was Cardinal Paolo Emilio Sfondrati.
Guido Reni, (Bologna 1575 -1642)
Crucifixion of St Peter, c. 1604-1605
Oil on wood
305 x 171 cm
Vatican Museum
The Crucifixion of St Peter, commissioned by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini for S. Paolo alle Tre Fontane, marked the first Roman success of Guido Reni, who painted it in 1604-1605. Transferred to the Pontifical Palace of the Quirinal (circa 1787), it was brought to Paris in 1797, and, after its return, became part of the Pinacoteca of Pius VII in 1819.
As soon as he arrived in Rome, the Bolognese artist approached the new revolutionary ideas of Caravaggio's painting, which, from their first appearance, had decidedly influenced the artistic life of the city. This influence is clear in the Crucifixion of St Peter, which is inspired by the same subject already dealt with by Caravaggio in the painting for the church of S. Maria del Popolo, with respect to which however the high dramatic tension is lessened. More on this painting
By 1604–05, he received an independent commission for an altarpiece of the Crucifixion of St. Peter (See above). After returning briefly to Bologna, he went back to Rome to become one of the premier painters during the papacy of Paul V (Borghese); between 1607–14, he was one of the painters most patronized by the Borghese family.
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
Aurora, circa 1612-1614
Fresco
Height: 280 cm (110.2 in); Width: 700 cm (22.9 ft)
Casino Rospigliosi Pallavicini (Rome)
The ceiling fresco is displayed within a painted frame or quadro riportato and depicts from right to left, Aurora (Dawn) in a golden billowing dress with her garlands flies over a dim-lit landscape, leading a blond Apollo in his horse-drawn chariot, surrounded by a chain of female "hours", bringing light to the world. It could also be described as the Triumph of Apollo led by the Aurora. Above the quadriga, in the sky, flies the putto Phosphorus with a torch. Zephyrs blow winds at either end. More on this painting
The Toilet of Venus, c. 1620-5
Oil on canvas
281.9 x 205.7 cm
The National Gallery
In this painting, Venus, the goddess of love, is attended by the Three Graces, who carefully fasten her sandals and jewellery. Her son Cupid stands before his bow and arrow in the foreground, delicately holding a pearl earring between forefinger and thumb, while a putto reaches through the window to place a flower amongst an arrangement in an antique urn. The semi-reclining goddess is shown with lips parted and eyes looking heavenward – an expression that came to be associated with both religious and secular women in Guido Reni’s paintings. More on this painting
After Guido Reni, 1575 - 1642
Perseus and Andromeda, c. 1635-1700
Oil on canvas
280 x 205.7 cm
The National Gallery
In this scene inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Andromeda, daughter of the Ethiopian queen Cassiope, is about to be sacrificed to placate a monster summoned by Neptune, god of the sea. The hero Perseus appears at top left on his winged horse Pegasus, preparing to kill the monster and rescue the distressed princess. Andromeda is depicted naked, though a swirling cloak preserves her modesty. More on this painting
Reni's frescoed ceiling of the large central hall of the Casino dell' Aurora, located in the grounds of the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, is often considered his fresco masterpiece. The massive fresco is framed in quadri riportati and depicts Apollo in his Chariot (See above) preceded by Dawn (Aurora) bringing light to the world.
Guido Reni
Arianna
Oil on canvas
220 x 150
Bologna Pinacoteca Nazionale
Ariadne, in Greek mythology, daughter of Pasiphae and the Cretan king Minos. She fell in love with the Athenian hero Theseus and, with a thread or glittering jewels, helped him escape the Labyrinth after he slew the Minotaur, a beast half bull and half man that Minos kept in the Labyrinth. Here the legends diverge: she was abandoned by Theseus and hanged herself; or, Theseus carried her to Naxos and left her there to die, and she was rescued by and married the god Dionysus. More on Ariadne
This is the only large known fragment of the 'Wedding of Bacchus and Ariadne' that Guido Reni painted in the years 1638-1640 on commission from Cardinal Barberini, but intended for Henrietta Maria di Borbone wife of the King of England Charles I Stuart.
The painting, made in Bologna, was sent to Rome for the expedition to the queen, but the dramatic political events that preceded the beheading of Charles I prevented it from being sent to England.
In 1647 the large canvas finally reached its destination with Henrietta, who sold it a year later to pay off her debts.
Entered in the collection of Michel Particelli d'Hemery, on his death according to authoritative sources of the time, it was reduced to pieces by the widow scandalized by the presence of nude figures.
The figure of Ariadne is cut out with an unusual precision due to a 'destruction', it is therefore likely that the painting was instead methodically broken down to be then more easily sold. More on this painting
In this painting, Reni allies himself more with the sterner Cavaliere d'Arpino, Lanfranco, and Albani "School" of mytho-historic painting, and less with the more crowded frescoes characteristic of Pietro da Cortona. There is little concession to perspective, and the vibrantly colored style is antithetical to the tenebrism of Caravaggio's followers. Documents show that Reni was paid 247 scudi and 54 baiocchi upon completion of his work on 24 September 1616.
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
Archangel Gabriel
Oil on canvas, a fragment, unframed
23 3/8 by 18 3/8 in.; 77.7 by 62.9 cm
Private collection
In the Hebrew Bible, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions (Daniel 8:15–26, 9:21–27). The archangel also appears in the Book of Enoch and other ancient Jewish writings. Alongside the archangel Michael, Gabriel is described as the guardian angel of Israel, defending its people against the angels of the other nations. Gabriel is also translated as "strength of God" in some languages. More on Archangel Gabriel
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
Archangel Michael tramples Satan, between circa 1630 and circa 1635
Oil on canvas
Height: 293 cm (115.3 in); Width: 202 cm (79.5 in)
Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome
Archangel Michael in the act of stepping on the Devil under his feet. Commissioned to the painter Guido Reni from the princely family Barberini , the Romans found in the features of Satan a striking resemblance to Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphili , that in a few years would have assumed the papacy as Pope Innocent X . With the advent of the new Pope, many Barberini thought of moving to France. The surprisingly surviving painting is still visible in the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione, in via Veneto in Rome. More on this painting
In 1630, the Barberini family of Pope Urban VIII commissioned from Reni a painting of the Archangel Michael for the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (See above). The painting, completed in 1636, gave rise to an old legend that Reni had represented Satan—crushed under St Michael's foot—with the facial features of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphilj in revenge for a slight
Reni also frescoed the Paoline Chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome as well as the Aldobrandini wings of the Vatican. According to rumor, the pontifical chapel of Montecavallo (Chapel of the Annunciation) was assigned to Reni to paint. However, because he felt underpaid by the papal ministers, the artist left Rome once again for Bologna, leaving the role of the preeminent artist in Rome to Domenichino.
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
The Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia, 1600 - 1603
Oil on copperplate
Height: 28 cm; Width: 20 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado
Saint Apollonia was one of the virgins martyred in Alexandria (Egypt) in the third century, A.D. during the religious persecution of Christians. In this small plate on copper, the Bolognese painter captures the moment when two henchmen torture the saint, who is tied to a post, by extracting her teeth with large pliers. That explains why this tool (sometimes including teeth) is her customary attribute, and why she is invoked to combat toothaches. This representative work from Reni’s youth reveals his admiration for Raphael, as well as the time he spent in the Carracci’s academy—especially the symmetrical composition and the female model. It also shows that even his earliest work had ties to the Baroque era’s classicist tendencies. More on this painting
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
The Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia
Oil on copper
17 1/4 by 13 1/4 in.; 44 by 33.5 cm.
Private collection
This refined painting on copper by Guido Reni, one of the most influential painters of the 17th century in Italy, is dateable to circa 1614 and constitutes an elegant reworking by the artist of an earlier theme. Like other small-scale works on copper, it was probably commissioned by a sophisticated Roman patron. More on this painting
Saint Apollonia in Prayer, c. 1600 - 1603
Oil on copperplate
Height: 28 cm; Width: 20 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado
This companion work to the Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia (See above) illustrates the subsequent episode, when, after violently pulling out her teeth, her torturers light a bonfire and threaten to burn her alive unless she exactly repeats their impious utterances. Instead, Apollonia prefers to throw herself onto the fire. Here, we see the moment when, in a state of ecstasy, with arms crossed over her bosom, she looks up to the heavens to received a crown and the martyrs’ palm frond that symbolize salvation. Her customary attribute, pliers with one of her teeth, appear at her side. While this is an early work, it already prefigures the sweet, serene female characters that contributed to the artist’s popularity and were widely copied. More on this painting
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
The Glory of St Dominic, c. 1613
Fresco
Basilica of San Domenico
Saint Dominic OP (8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), was a Castilian Catholic priest and founder of the Dominican Order. Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers.
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
Massacre of the Innocents, c. 1611
Oil on canvas
Height: 268 cm (105.5 in); Width: 170 cm (66.9 in)
Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna
The Massacre of the Innocents is the incident in the nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The Catholic Church regards them as the first Christian martyrs. A majority of Herod biographers, and "probably a majority of biblical scholars," hold the event to be myth, legend or folklore. More on The Massacre of the Innocents
The painting, commissioned for the Berò family chapel in the Bolognese church of San Domenico and executed in 1611 probably during the period in which the artist was in Rome, depicts the episode of the massacre of the innocents, narrated in the Gospel of Matthew.
Between two architectural scenes of tall old-fashioned buildings, two women on the right seek refuge with their children. A man, portrayed from behind, chases a screaming woman, and another bends down holding a dagger in his hand towards the mothers who, kneeling on the ground, scramble to protect the children or cry over the bodies of those already killed.
High in the sky, two little angels show the palms of martyrdom.
Despite the excitement of the subject, the painting is articulated according to a precise compositional scheme with the two symmetrical groups of figures opposite each other on the sides and, isolated, right in the center of the scene, the dagger of one of the executioners, symbol of the entire subject. More on this painting
Guido Reni
Risen Christ, c. 1620
Oil on canvas
228 centimetre x 138 centimetre
Heritage Malta, MUŻA
The resurrection of Jesus is the Christian religious belief that, after being put to death, Jesus rose again from the dead. It is the central tenet of Christian theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures"
Just before sunrise on the day after the regular weekly Sabbath three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, come to anoint Jesus' body, wondering how they would be able to roll the large rock away from the tomb; but they found the rock already rolled aside and a young man in white inside; he told them that Jesus had risen, and that they should tell Peter and the disciples that he will meet them in Galilee, "just as he told you". More on The resurrection of Jesus
Guido Reni
The Risen Christ Appearing to His Mother
Oil on canvas
H. in cm: 285 ; L. in cm: 187
Museum of Fine Arts of Nancy
If the Gospels do not speak of the appearance of the Risen Christ to his mother, theologians, following Saint Ambrose, admit that Mary is the first witness of the Resurrection. The representation of this scene is nevertheless relatively rare. Commissioned from Guido Reni around 1604, the work was sent to Nancy to Cardinal Charles, the first primate of Lorraine (1567-1607), who donated it to the Cordeliers convent. More on this painting
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
The Gathering of the Manna, c. 1614-15
Oil on canvas
80 x 170 cm
Duomo di Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy
Those seated close to Moses are praying and looking up to heaven, as if they are still waiting for manna to appear. The three people to the right of those are talking to one another, and the woman in green is pointing, leading our gaze down to a young man gathering manna by Moses’ left foot. Behind them is a group of older men, their hands raised up in appreciation of the falling manna.
This is starting to become a more complex story, in which different events from the full Biblical account are being expressed in groups of figures. Although these groups are packed together on the canvas, making its reading harder, the story does now cover phases two to four. More on this painting
Leaving Bologna briefly in 1618, Reni traveled to Naples to complete a commission to paint a ceiling in a chapel of the cathedral of San Gennaro. In Naples, other prominent local painters, including Corenzio, Caracciolo and Ribera, were vehemently resistant to competitors, and according to rumor, conspired to poison or otherwise harm Reni, who had a great fear of being poisoned, chose not to outstay his welcome.
After leaving Rome, Reni alternately painted in different styles, but displayed less eclectic tastes than many of Carracci's trainees. For example, his altarpiece for Samson Victorious (See below) formulates stylized poses, like those characteristic of Mannerism.
Guido Reni (1575–1642)
Samson Victorious, c. 1611 - 1612
Oil, canvas
260 x 223 cm
National Art Gallery of Bologna
Samson or Victorious Samson, one of the most famous paintings by Guido Reni, was commissioned by Count Luigi Zambeccari as decoration for a fireplace in his home on Via Riva di Reno in Bologna. The work was later purchased by Cardinal Girolamo Boncompagni to prevent it from being sold abroad. It was donated to the City Senate in 1684.
Samson, the valiant fighter from the Old Testament, is depicted on the battlefield while drinking from a donkey's jawbone with which he has just killed a thousand Philistines, exemplified in the corpses on the ground, on many levels.
An error in the ancient translation of the biblical text had confused the name of the place where the battle took place, called Monte della Mascella, with the bone itself, generating the iconography that we see, in which the water does not flow from a crack in the rock, but from the jawbone itself. More on this painting
Guido Reni (and workshop), Bologna, 1575 – Bologna, 1642
David and Abigail, ca. 1615–1620
Oil on canvas
153 × 161 cm
Szépművészeti Múzeum
Abigail was married to Nabal; she became married to the future King David after Nabal's death. Abigail was David's second wife. She became the mother of one of David's sons, Daniel.
Nabal had demonstrated ingratitude towards David, and Abigail attempts to placate David, in order to stop the future King from taking revenge. She gives him food, and speaks to him, urging him not to "have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed."
After Abigail reveals to Nabal what she has done, "God struck Nabal and he died," after which David married her. Abigail is described as intelligent and beautiful. More on Abigail
Reni, Guido
Hippomenes and Atalanta, c. 1618 - 1619
Oil on canvas
Height: 206 cm; Width: 279 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado
Inspired by Ovid´s Metamorphoses, this key work in Reni´s oeuvre tells the story of Atalanta, the daughter of Schoeneus, king of Arcadia. Seeking a husband, she offered to marrie anyone able to outrun her in a race. Suitors unable to do so, however, would be killed. Hippomenes was enamored of her and thus accepted the challenge with the help of Venus, who gave him three golden apples. He was supposed to drop these, one at a time, in order to distract Atalanta and thus win the race. More on this painting
In contrast, his Crucifixion (See below) and his Atlanta and Hipomenes (See above) depict dramatic diagonal movement coupled with the effects of light and shade that portray the more Baroque influence of Caravaggio. His turbulent yet realistic Massacre of the Innocents (Pinacoteca, Bologna) (See above) is painted in a manner reminiscent of a late Raphael. In 1625, Prince Władysław Sigismund Vasa of Poland visited the artist's workshop in Bologna during his visit to Western Europe.
Guido Reni (after) Bologna, 1575 – Bologna, 1642
The Crucifixion, c. after 1639
Oil on canvas
132.5 × 94 cm
Szépművészeti Múzeum
The crucifixion of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely between AD 30 and 33. Jesus' crucifixion is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles.
Jesus was arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin, and then sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally crucified by the Romans. Jesus was stripped of his clothing and offered wine mixed with myrrh or gall to drink before being crucified. He was then hung between two convicted thieves and died some six hours later. During this time, the soldiers affixed a sign to the top of the cross stating "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" which, according to the Gospel of John, was written in three languages. After Jesus' death, one soldier pierced his side with a spear to be certain that he had died. More on The crucifixion of Jesus
The close rapport between the painter and the Polish prince resulted in the acquisition of drawings and paintings. In 1630, while Bologna was suffering from plague, Reni painted the Pallion del Voto with images of Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier.
Follower of Guido Reni
Susannah and the elders
Oil on canvas
118.5 by 156 cm.; 46 7/8 by 61 3/8 in.
The National Gallery
A fair Hebrew wife named Susanna was falsely accused by lecherous voyeurs. As she bathes in her garden, having sent her attendants away, two lustful elders secretly observe the lovely Susanna. When she makes her way back to her house, they accost her, threatening to claim that she was meeting a young man in the garden unless she agrees to have sex with them. More on Susannah and the elders
Lot and his Daughters Leaving Sodom
Oil on canvas
118.5 by 156 cm.; 46 7/8 by 61 3/8 in.
The National Gallery
Lot and his two daughters, Genesis 19:30-38, left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.” More on Lot and his Daughters
Lot and his Daughters Leaving Sodom and Susannah and the Elders are two works by Guido Reni, both of which depict biblical scenes containing three figures. They are of similar size, and are painted in a horizontal format with dark backgrounds. The two were first recorded in the Palazzo Lancellotti, Rome, in 1640, where they hung together as companion pieces until they were respectively acquired by the National Gallery in 1844.
Upon their acquisition the works were considered to be a pair, given their similarly moralising subject matter, size, and location in the Palazzo Lancellotti. However, cleaning revealed brushwork that suggests the paintings were created in different periods of Reni’s career, and were not made to hang together.
Because the two Old Testament subjects illustrate feminine vice and virtue, the pairing would seem to be deliberate. It’s possible that Reni painted Susannah and the Elders to accompany his earlier work, but it’s similarly plausible that the pairing was made by a collector much later. More on these paintings
By the 1630s, Reni's painting style became looser, less impastoed, and dominated by lighter colors. A compulsive gambler, Reni was often in financial distress despite the steady demand for his paintings. According to his biographer Carlo Cesare Malvasia, Reni's need to recoup gambling losses resulted in rushed execution and multiple copies of his works produced by his workshop. Among the paintings of his last years are many unfinished works.
Guido Reni Bologna, 1575 – Bologna, 1642
Portrait of Beatrice Cenci, c. 1599
Oil on canvas
64,5 x 49 cm
Palazzo Barberini
A long historical tradition has identified Beatrice Cenci in this portrait. The young parricide, who was processed and beheaded in Rome in 1599, is immortalized in prison by Guido Reni a few instants before being killed.
The girl turns to us with an appealing and innocent gaze that reminds us of her tragic fate. After years of oppression and abduction in a castle, Beatrice supported by her brothers and stepmother planned the murder of her father, Francesco Cenci, who was a dissolute and deprived man. The murder was meant to look like an accident. However, the subsequent investigations that took place, the use of torture in order to obtain confessions and several defects in the process led to death penalty resolution issued by Pope Clement VIII.
The execution took place on 11 September 1599, in front of Castel Sant’Angelo. There was a huge public attendance regardless the unfair and miserable nature of the punishment. It is said that Caravaggio was present among the witnesses, as it is testified in his painting Judith and Holofernes.
The masterpiece by Reni forms part of the Barberini collection since 1818. During several decades after the acquisition, visitors of Rome came to Palazzo Barberini pursuing the contemplation of the face of this girl, condemned for having rebelled against the physical and sexual abuse imposed by her father. Writers as Shelley, Stendhal, Artaud, transformed her figure into a romantic heroine, sensitive and brave. More on this painting
Studio of Guido Reni
Lucretia
Oil on canvas
39 1/2 by 30 in.; 100.5 by 76.2 cm.
Private collection
Lucretia, legendary heroine of ancient Rome. According to tradition, she was the beautiful and virtuous wife of the nobleman Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. Her tragedy began when she was raped by Sextus Tarquinius, son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the tyrannical Etruscan king of Rome. After exacting an oath of vengeance against the Tarquins from her father and her husband, she stabbed herself to death. Lucius Junius Brutus then led the enraged populace in a rebellion that drove the Tarquins from Rome. The event (traditionally dated 509 BCE) marks the foundation of the Roman Republic. The story is first found in the work of the earliest Roman historian, Fabius Pictor (late 3rd century BCE). Its classic form is Livy’s version (late 1st century BCE). Lucretia’s story is also recounted in Shakespeare’s narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece. More on Lucretia
Guido Reni and Studio
Cleopatra
Oil on canvas
114.2 x 95.0 cm
Royal Collection, Hampton Court.
Follower of Guido ReniCleopatra being bitten by the asp
oil on canvas, oval
128 by 105 cm.; 50 1/4 by 41 1/4 in.
Private collection
The so-called "Beatrice Cenci", formerly ascribed to Reni and praised by generations of admirers, is now regarded as a doubtful attribution. Beatrice Cenci was executed in Rome before Reni ever lived there and thus could not have sat for the portrait. Many etchings are attributed to Guido Reni, some after his own paintings and some after other masters. They are spirited, in a light style of delicate lines and dots. Reni's technique was used by the Bolognese school and was the standard for Italian printmakers of his time.
Guido Reni Bologna, 1575 – Bologna, 1642
Education of the Virgin, c. 1640-42
Oil on canvas
146 x 206 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
According to a popular medieval legend, Mary was exceedingly pious and insisted on being educated in scripture at home by her mother before she was to enter the Temple. Thus she became well versed in Hebrew scripture. As we shall see she made excellent use of her Bible lessons when the Angel Gabriel arrived. More on this painting
Reni died in Bologna in 1642. He was buried there in the Rosary Chapel of the Basilica of San Domenico; the painter Elisabetta Sirani, whose father had been Reni's pupil and who was considered by some to be the artistic reincarnation of Reni, was later interred in the same tomb. More on Guido Reni
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