90 - 17th-Century ITALIAN School

17th-Century ITALIAN School Saint Pius V Ghislieri Oil on canvas Height: 131, Width: 90.5 cm Antonio Ghislieri was elected Pope (at the instigation of Charles Borromeo) in 1566. He fought to defend Christendom against the Turks and against the Lutheran and Calvinist Reformation. He was beatified in 1672 and canonized in 1712. Our painting follows the tradition of papal portraiture, depicting the Supreme Pontiff seated in a red-and-gold velvet armchair bearing his coat of arms, pausing from reading his breviary to turn his benevolent gaze toward the viewer. The best-known portrait of Pius V is the work of Scipione Pulzone (Gaeta 1550–Rome 1598); one version hangs in the Colonna Gallery in Rome, and another in the Archbishop’s Palace in Olomouc (Czech Republic). Giulio Clovio (Grizane, Croatia, 1498–Rome, 1578) and Bartolomeo Passarotti (1529–Bologna, 1592) also depicted this pope. Our painting most closely resembles Passarotti’s version, with the exception of the left hand: in our painting, it rests on the armrest, whereas in Passarotti’s painting, now in Baltimore (Walters Art Gallery), it is raised in a gesture of blessing.