Allegory of the Artist on the Verge of Death

Currently not on view

Allegory of the Artist on the Verge of Death

c. 1780-1790

Giovanni David (Italian, 1749–1790)

An obscure painter and printmaker of the late Genoese Baroque, David studied in Rome with Domenico Corvi before returning to Genoa to make his career. This elaborate scene, filled with references to death and mortality, apparently allegorizes the artist's close brush with the Grim Reaper after a severe illness in the early 1780s.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Allegory of the Artist on the Verge of Death

Date:

c. 1780-1790

Artist:

Giovanni David (Italian, 1749–1790)

Medium:

Pen and brush and black ink and watercolor, on laid paper mounted on paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 12 5/16 x 15 1/2 inches (31.3 x 39.4 cm) Mount: 14 1/8 x 16 13/16 inches (35.8 x 42.7 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Purchased with the SmithKline Beckman (later SmithKline Beecham) Fund for the Ars Medica Collection, 1978

Accession Number:

1978-62-2

Geography:

Made in Italy, Europe

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Currently not on view