Barbara Sirani

Selected Works

An oval image of the Holy Family, with the Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus close to her, while the Infant Saint John the Baptist reaches out to hold her hand and arm. Joseph appears behind them, reading a book. Both infants are nude, and Mary wears a white and pink dress, with a blue cloth wrapped around her and a white scarf in her hair.

The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist

1659
Barbara Sirani, The Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist, 1659. Oil on copper, 36.5 x 28.5 cm. Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna.
Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna

An image of a saint on her knees, looking up at a figure who holds an open book in front of her. Above the figures, in the clouds, the Virgin Mary appears holding the Infant Jesus. Behind the saint, there are two figures: an angel and another figure. The painting is set in an architectural frame as part of a church decoration.

Santa Francesa Romana, Sant’Apollonia e Beata Caterina de’Vigri con la Madonna di San Lucca

1689
Barbara Sirani, Santa Francesa Romana, Sant’Apollonia e Beata Caterina de’Vigri con la Madonna di San Lucca, 1689. Oil on canvas, 169 x 128 cm. Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, Trebbo di Reno.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, Trebbo di Reno

An image of Christ in a crown of thorns, with his wrists crossed and bound in front of him. Two figures appear behind him. He has a halo behind his head and looks out directly at the viewer with a pained, plaintive expression. The painting is set in a fairly elaborate frame.

Ecce Homo

ca. 1660
Barbara Sirani, Ecce Homo, ca. 1660. Oil on canvas, 150 x 60 cm. Santa Maria de Servi, Bologna.
Santa Maria de Servi, Bologna

A brown ink drawing of a woman, cowering in fear as a skeleton representing Death walks behind her holding a scythe and a spear. She is dressed in a classicized costume and crosses her arms in front of her, turning away from the figure of Death. There is an inscription below the drawing.

Death Disarming Virtue

ca. 1665
Barbara Sirani, Death Disarming Virtue, ca. 1665. Pen and ink and wash. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

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