Artwork

A Saint Holding a Book

A Saint Holding a Book, by Gioacchino Assereto, chalk, 1640
A Saint Holding a Book, by Gioacchino Assereto, chalk, 1640

A Saint Holding a Book is a chalk drawing by the Baroque artist Gioacchino Assereto. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

A Saint Holding a Book is a drawing created by Gioacchino Assereto around 1640. It is executed in red chalk and brown wash on wove paper.

Technique & Style

The drawing features red chalk and brown wash, heightened with white, and was incised for transfer. The use of these techniques and materials is typical of Assereto's work, reflecting his involvement in early Baroque devotional imagery.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing depicts a religious figure holding a book, likely a saint. The image is characteristic of Assereto's engagement with devotional themes.

History & Provenance

The verso of the sheet contains a rubbed-over red chalk study of a reclining man seen from behind, indicating the sheet was reused by the artist.

Artist & collection

Artist

Gioacchino Assereto

Gioacchino Assereto (1600 – 28 June 1649) was an Italian painter of the early Baroque period and one of the most prominent history painters active in Genoa in the first half of the 17th century.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.