Portrait of an apostle - Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666) workshop

Oil on canvas

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, better known as Guercino was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento, active in Rome and Bologna.

This painting depicts a half portrait of a bearded man, who is looking up towards a light. His forehead is wrinkled and his hair is greying. A simple dark shawl lies over the upper body, but leaves the neck area and part of his chest free. This type of depiction indicates that this may be an apostle, possible Peter.



Literature:
- Barbara Ghelfi (ed.), Il libro dei conti Guerncino, 1629-1666, Venice 1997.
- Luigi Salerno, I dipinti del Guercino, Rome 1988/
- David M Stone,, Guercino. Catalogo completo dei dipinti, Florence 1991.
- Massimo Pulini (ed.), Le collezioni ritrovate di Guercino, exhibition catalogue, Milan 2003.