Head of an Apostle
Guido Reni·c. 1609
Historical Context
Head of an Apostle at the Nationalmuseum by Reni is a concentrated devotional study from his apostle series. Such head studies served both as independent devotional images and as preparatory works for larger compositions. Guido Reni's refined classicism and ethereal beauty made him one of the most celebrated painters in Europe during his lifetime, his graceful idealized figures expressing a spirituality that appealed equally to Counter-Reformation piety and aristocratic aesthetic sensibility.
Technical Analysis
The apostle's inspired expression is rendered with Reni's refined technique. The luminous handling and idealized features create a concentrated devotional image.
