Giovanni Andrea Sirani

Although best known as the father and teacher of Elisabetta, Barbara, and Ana Maria Sirani, Giovanni Andrea was an important Bolognese artist in his own right. He trained under Guido Reni, whose style this work closely approximates. While the present composition was certainly inspired by Reni's treatment of half-length female saints, the feathery brushwork used to delineate the various textures is characteristic of Sirani's own hand.