John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness, 1657 – 1658

About the Work

This drawing by Elisabetta Sirani is one of the few works by women artists in Italian Baroque drawing holdings of the Städel Museum. Having trained with her father Giovanni Andrea Sirani, Elisabetta was still quite young when she took charge of the workshop. She was among the most outstanding and most productive artists of her time. Far over a hundred drawings of her making have survived to testify to her in-depth exploration of the drawing medium.