Art Institute of Chicago

Birth of the Virgin

Giuseppe Cades

Date

c. 1784

Medium

Pen and brown ink with pen and brown wash, over traces of graphite, heightened with white gouache (discolored), on ivory laid paper

Culture

Italy

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Cades divides his scene of the Virgin Mary’s birth into two symbolic halves. In the background at right, deep in shadow, Mary’s mother Saint Anne recuperates in bed. In the foreground at left, bathed in light, Saint Joachim gestures toward the infant Mary. Influenced by both ancient Roman sculptural reliefs and Italian Renaissance painting (particularly that of Raphael), the artist rendered the birth of the Virgin as if it were carved from time-stained marble. The drawing is characterized by strong contour lines, monochromatic coloring, and a frieze-like arrangement.

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