Tullia Driving Her Chariot over the Body of Her Father

Art Historical Context

In the turbulent world of ancient Roman history, as recounted by Livy, Tullia the Younger—daughter of King Servius Tullius— the shocking act of driving her chariot her father's lifeless body to reach her husband, the usurper Tarquin. This dramatic drawing by Ciro Ferri, a prominent Italian Baroque artist active in Rome (ca. 1655–70), captures that infamous moment with visceral intensity. Ferri, pupil of Pietro da Cort, infused his works with the Baroque penchant for theatrical emotion, dynamic movement, and moral complexity, turning classical tales into visually arresting spectacles. Executed in pen and brown ink with brown wash over black pencil, and squared in black chalk for transfer to a larger canvas or fresco, this preparatory study (10 1/2 x 18 3/4 in.) exemplifies Ferri's masterful draftsmanship. The fluid lines and subtle shading evoke the chaos of thundering horses, a speeding chariot, soldiers, and anguished figures, heightening the scene's horror and pathos. Such techniques were vital in the Baroque era for planning grand commissions, blending realism with expressive flair. Housed in the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this work highlights Ferri's role in propagating dramatic history paintings that moralized on ambition and tyranny, captivating 17th-century audiences while enduring as a testament to Baroque drawing's power.

About the Artist

Ciro Ferri · 1634–1689

Ciro Ferri (1634–1689) was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver who served as the principal artistic heir and studio assistant of Pietro da Cortona, the dominant decorative painter of seventeenth-century Rome. Born in Rome, Ferri entered Cortona's workshop as a young man and proved so skilled that he became the master's most trusted collaborator, eventually taking over the completion of major c...