St. Peter Baptizing Cornelius (Acts 10: 44-48) 1740 - 1821

Laurent Pécheux created this drawing using pen and brown ink with gray wash over traces of graphite. It depicts the baptism of Cornelius as described in the Acts of the Apostles. Pécheux was a French painter who spent most of his career in Italy, where he became the director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin. In this work, we can see the clear influence of Italian Renaissance and Baroque art in its composition and subject matter. During the 18th century, the academies played a key role in defining artistic taste. They promoted the idea of history painting as the highest form of art because of its moral and educational function. If we look closely, we can see that this drawing is not a finished work but rather a study for a larger painting. This gives us insight into the artistic process and the role of drawing in the development of a painting. Art historians can use drawings like this to learn more about the artist's working methods and the evolution of their ideas.