Sketches for an Altar with Saint Margaret of Cortona, Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch (recto); Two Sketches for an Altar (verso)

Art Historical Context

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, leading Venetian artist of the early 18th century, created these dynamic sketches around 1728–1754, showcasing his mastery of pen-and-ink drawing. On the recto, the composition features Saint Margaret of Cortona, penitent mystic, alongside Saints Sebastian and Roch—patron saints often invoked during plagues—arranged for an altar design. The verso offers two additional altar sketches, revealing Piazzetta's iterative process in planning grand religious works. Rendered on ivory laid paper27.8 × 19.2 cm), these preparatory drawings capture the artist's fluid line work, blending late Baroque drama with emerging Rococo elegance. Piazzetta's technique employs pen and brown ink with subtle traces of black chalk and graphite on the recto, and touches of black chalk on the verso, allowing for expressive modeling and depth. Such versatile drawings were essential in Venetian workshops, serving as models for paintings, prints, or frescoes. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, they highlight Piazzetta's reputation for vivid, emotive religious imagery that bridged the 17th-century tenebrism of his influences like Guercino with lighter, more theatrical 18th-century tastes. These sketches offer a rare glimpse into the creative mindset behind altarpieces, underscoring the cultural devotion to these saints amid Venice's history of epidemics and spiritual fervor. A testament to Piazzetta's enduring legacy, they invite visitors to appreciate the intimacy of an artist's hand in crafting sacred spaces.

About the Artist

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta · 1682–1754

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta was born in Venice in 1682 and trained first under his father, the sculptor and woodcarver Giacomo Piazzetta, before turning decisively to painting. The crucial formative experience of his career came when he traveled to Bologna to study under Giuseppe Maria Crespi, whose dramatic use of chiaroscuro — strong contrasts of light and shadow rooted in the Caravaggesque trad...