Placido Costanzi (1688 – 1759) - Roman Charity

Placido Costanzi (Rome 1688 – 1759)
Roman Charity

Charcoal on paper
283 x 209 mm

Inscribed on the mount and on the verso: “Guido Reni” and “n°146”

Provenance
Private collection, France
Private collection, Italy
Christie’s, Old Master Drawings, 16 April 1991, lot 179 (illustrated)

Note
This powerful and poignant drawing depicts one of the most striking episodes in Christian iconography: the Roman Charity, inspired by Valerius Maximus, in which Pero secretly breastfeeds her father Cimon, condemned to die of starvation in prison. Placido Costanzi, a pupil of Benedetto Luti and an active member of the Accademia di San Luca, was one of the most gifted draughtsmen of the Roman Rococo. His nervous and expressive line serves here a composition of restrained pathos, blending filial tenderness with dramatic dignity.

The drawing, executed with great spontaneity, reveals the artist’s flair for expressive contrasts — the young woman’s serene beauty counterbalancing the emotional gravity of the old man. The charcoal medium is masterfully handled to convey volume, light, and human vulnerability. The old attribution to Guido Reni, still visible on the mount, is a testimony to the sheet’s enduring quality and appeal.