Saint Mary (the Blessed Virgin) with the Christ Child and Saint John the Baptist: John hands a bird to Jesus Christ. Etching after G. Reni, 16--.

1600-1699

1 print : etching

Adam Bartsch, Le peintre graveur, vol. XVIII, Vienna 1818, pp. 315-316 no. 4. This print is included by Bartsch among "Estampes gravées par differens artistes anonymes qui semblent être de l'école de Guido Reni" (prints engraved by different unnamed artists who seem to be of the school of Guido Reni). It is distinguished by Bartsch from another etching of the same composition (Le peintre graveur, vol. XIX, Vienna 1818, pp. 67-68 no. 5, as apparently designed by Guido Reni and etched by Lorenzo Loli). In the present version, only the distal phalanx of the Virgin's right index finger is shaded, in order to distinguish the finger from Christ's drapery, whereas in the version attributed to Loli the entire digit is shaded. There are also two etched copies in reverse (Bartsch XVIII p. 316, nos. 4A and 4B), each with its own lettering. The four versions attest to the popularity of the work

Wellcome Collection 2952428i