A Wooded River Landscape
Rome, about 1650
Black chalk, brush and grey ink, grey wash
283 x 425 mm
Cortona was, along with Bernini, a presiding genius of the Roman Baroque. Excelling as a painter, architect and decorator, he also executed a number of landscape drawings, often as pure diversions. One of the finest examples, this was in the collections of the Earls of Leicester at Holkham, Norfolk until its sale, when it was saved from export through its join acquisition by the Barber Institute and the Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, and with financial assistance from the National Art Collections Fund and National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Purchased 1992. Bought jointly with the Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, with financial assistance from the National Art Collections Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund. (No. 92.2)