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Source Description
The stately figure of the pope sits before a lavish drapery suggesting an aristocratic setting. He raises his right hand with its papal ring in a gesture of benediction. By seeing the pope blessing his audience, viewers are reminded that he is Christ's representative on earth.Fabio Chigi, who became Pope Alexander VII, ruled from 1655 until his death in 1667. Papal portraits were produced in many versions and were widely distributed. They were given as diplomatic gifts or acquired as expressions of political allegiance. This painting was probably executed by an assistant after an original by Baciccio.For more information on this portrait, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 326, pp. 452-453.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
30041
label
Portrait of Pope Alexander VII (Fabio Chigi)
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
30041
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Portrait of Pope Alexander VII (Fabio Chigi)
description
The stately figure of the pope sits before a lavish drapery suggesting an aristocratic setting. He raises his right hand with its papal ring in a gesture of benediction. By seeing the pope blessing his audience, viewers are reminded that he is Christ's representative on earth.Fabio Chigi, who became Pope Alexander VII, ruled from 1655 until his death in 1667. Papal portraits were produced in many versions and were widely distributed. They were given as diplomatic gifts or acquired as expressions of political allegiance. This painting was probably executed by an assistant after an original by Baciccio.For more information on this portrait, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 326, pp. 452-453.
provenance
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1881 catalogue: no. 218; 1897 catalogue: no. 350, as Baciccio]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1667 (Baroque)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
oil paintings (visual works)
portraits
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
90.1
height
76.7
dimensionsRaw
Visible painted surface H: 35 1/2 x W: 30 3/16 in. (90.1 x 76.7 cm)
Source extras
med
oil on canvas
creator_ids
2051
collection_ids
BAR
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
793052227cef82ac
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
694d396546e5254f
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no