Getty Museum

Spectators Hiding behind a Barricade

Date

about 1630

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush with brown wash

Culture

Italian

Department

Drawings

Institution

Getty Museum

Object ID

c83a70b3-46f2-422d-a4bf-608f572cefbd

A group of figures hide behind a tall wooden barricade; they peer through the horizontal slats, their feet visible at the bottom. At right, a man in a hat and cloak joins the group behind the barricade, while from a high window at left three faces look on at the scene. But what drama are they watching with such evident interest? There are few clues to guide us, but possibilities are a bull fight or a Palio bareback horse race (while the Palio di Siena continues in modern times, in Guercino’s day such races also occurred in Ferrara and Bologna, both close to his native Cento). Full of humor and humanity, this drawing reflects a much-admired aspect of Guercino’s practice, the scenes of daily life he is reputed to have made frequently, but of which few are known today. Rapidly sketched in pen and ink on thin paper, the drawing conveys bright sunlight through the combination of wash and substantial reserves of paper. The sketch was made on the back of a draft of a letter, probably written by Paolo Antonio, Guercino’s brother, accountant, and studio manager. The letter acknowledges receipt of correspondence and is filled with courtesies, but sadly has no names, dates, or details that might provide useful information. The wooden slats of the barricade drawn on the recto correspond with the writing visible through the paper, and the artist seems to have used this to lend extra texture to the surface of the barricade.

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