Getty Museum
Pope Gregory XV
Creator
Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri)Italian Artist · 1591–1666
All works by this person →Giovanni Francesco Barberi was nicknamed Guercino because he was *guercio,*or cross-eyed. Born in poverty in Cento, near Ferrara, he was largely self-taught, though he also served an apprenticeship. The glowing colorism and emotion of Lodovico Carracci's *Holy Family with Saint Francis* in Bologna influenced him profoundly, and Lodovico himself encouraged the young man. From 1614 to 1621, the year
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1622–1623
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Culture
- Italian
- Department
- Paintings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
- Object ID
- 6fc1ce77-4380-4c7a-b187-10adeda478ed
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called *il Guercino* or simply Guercino, meaning “The Squinter”, a nickname referring to a congenital eye condition from which he suffered. In 1621, Guercino was called to Rome from his hometown of Cento, Ferrara, to paint this portrait of Pope Gregory XV (1554–1623). Despite being a largely self-taught artist, Guercino quickly rose to fame in north Italy and was patronized by cardinals and noblemen, before receiving this commission from the Curia. Though using a format that had become standard for papal portraiture since the Renaissance, the artist deviates from tradition by placing less emphasis on the trappings of power and more on his subject's character. Shown with a weary stare and a sickly pallor, this portrait captures the pope at the end of his life, worn by the cares of office and failing health.
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