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Cupid restraining Mars

Maker

(artist)
1591-1666

Title

Date of Production

(circa) 1640

Medium

pen and ink (brown) on laid paper, formerly on a 'Casa Gennari mount' (now removed, but still mounted with the drawing)

Dimensions

Height: 22.8 cm
Width: 19.1 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.1349

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

Mars, the Roman god of war, turns rapidly away from Cupid in an effort to resist his grip. His outstretched limbs and billowing cape convey the speed and energy of his action, as do the numerous lines radiating from his right hand that indicate the slashing of the sword blade. Guercino’s forceful penwork and numerous changes of line add to the powerful feeling of movement.

Provenance

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

Exhibition History

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

Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999 ...More

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

Drawings by Guercino from British Collections, British Museum, London, 1991

Drawings by Guercino and other Baroque Masters, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/02/1977-01/03/1977 ...Less

Literature

Guercino: Mind to paper, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Courtauld Gallery, London, 2006-2007 Los Angeles, 2006
no. 26
Fig. p. 78

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. 114
Illus. on p. 183

Drawings by Guercino from British collections, British Museum, London, 1991, 1991
no. 132 and pp. 26, 31n92, 32n108, 43, 79, 158-61, 165, 171, 253-54, 262, 264
Illus. on p. 160 ...More

Stone, David M., 'Review of "Drawings by Guercino from British Collections", by Nicholas Turner and Carol Plazzotta' in 'Burlington Magazine', September 1991 - 632-35; 133, 1062
pp. 633-34
Fig. 77

Drawings by Guercino from British Collections, British Museum, London, 1991
cat. no. 132

Mahon, Denis and Nicholas Turner, The drawings of Guercino in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1989
pp. 30, 194

Drawings by Guercino and other Baroque masters, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1977, 1977
no. 36

Horton, Anne K., 'A Drawing by Guercino' in 'Allen Memorial Art Museum Bulletin', Fall 1960; XVIII, 1
pp. 7, 10, 13, 16n21
Fig. 5 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: 11

Label: Plain sheet of buff coloured paper.

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

Inscription: 1349

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