Saint Bartholomew was an apostle and missionary who was martyred by flaying or being skinned alive. In a succession of preparatory studies, Guercino choreographed the postures of the saint and his two executioners to convey the action of this gruesome event most vividly. The final painting is, however, less explicit than this drawing, which shows a length of skin being stripped from the saint’s arm.

Preparatory drawing for an altarpiece in the church of San Martino in Siena, for which Guercino received payments in 1635 and 1636.

by descent to the artist's nephews, Benedetto Gennari (1633-1715) and Cesare Gennari (1637-1688), 1666; by descent to Cesare’s sons, Gianfrancesco Gennari (1671-1727) and Filippo Antonio Gennari (1677-1751), 1719; by descent to Gianfrancesco's son, Carlo Gennari (1716-1790); presumably Francesco Forni, Bologna (18th century) or Abbé Bonducci, Florence (18th century); presumably acquired from either of those by John Bouverie, England (ca. 1722/1723-1750), 1741 or 1745; by descent to his sister, Anne Hervey (d. 1757); by descent to her son, Christopher Hervey (d. 1786); by descent to his aunt, Elizabeth Bouverie (d. 1798); by descent to Sir Charles Middleton, later 1st Baron Barham (1726-1813); by descent to his son-in-law, Sir Gerard Noel, 2nd Baron Barham (1759-1838); by descent to his son, Charles Noel, later 1st Earl of Gainsborough (1781-1866); by descent to Charles Noel, 3rd Earl of Gainsborough (1850-1926); his sale, Christie's (London), 27 July 1922, part of lot 81 (a box containing 68 drawings by Guercino and others); purchased there by F.R. Meatyard (London) on behalf of Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b (£90 for the lot); Witt Bequest 1952

Guercino - Mind to Paper, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 22/02/2007-13/05/2007

Guercino - Mind to Paper, J Paul Getty Museum & Los Angeles & California & USA, 24/10/2006-21/01/2007

Il Guercino 1591-1666. Dipinti e Disengi, Il Guercino e la
bottega, Museo Civico Archeologico & Bologna & Italy, 06/09/1991-10/11/1991 ...More

Guercino: Mind to paper, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Courtauld Gallery, London, 2006-2007 Los Angeles, 2006
no. 18
Fig. p. 60

Il Guercino 1591-1666. Dipinti e Disegni, Il Guercino e la bottega, Museo Civico Archeologico, Bologna; Pinacoteca Civica e Chiesa del Rosario, Cento; Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt et al., 1991
no. 91
Fig. p. 147

Drawings by Guercino from British collections, British Museum, London, 1991, 1991
no. 111 and pp. 31n92, 32n108, 117, 136-138, 231
Fig. p. 137 ...More

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Collector's mark: collector's mark of Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b)