The Circumcision 1634 - 1689

Ciro Ferri created this pen and brown ink with brown wash and white gouache drawing, The Circumcision, in the 17th century. The scene depicts the biblical event of the circumcision of Jesus, framed by an elaborate architectural border. Ferri was an Italian artist working during the Baroque period, a time when the Catholic Church was a major patron of the arts. Religious institutions used art to promote their doctrines, and artists often worked to create images that reinforced these ideas. The composition, with its dramatic lighting and emotional figures, is typical of the Baroque style. The architectural border and cherubic figures suggests its function as a design for an altarpiece. Ferri was closely associated with the workshop of Pietro da Cortona, who was himself inspired by the work of Bernini. By studying drawings like this one, and others by Ferri, scholars can better understand the social and institutional contexts in which art was created during the Baroque era.