Madonna and Child with Saints Laurence, Roch, Jerome, and others

In recognition of Giovanni Baglione's talent, Pope Paul V knighted him in 1606. In this lively series of pen and ink studies, he tested ideas for a Madonna and Child surrounded by saints. Although the figures are only summarily described, many are identifiable. Saint Laurence, for instance, appears in the composition on the left, holding the gridiron, on which he met his fiery martyrdom. On the right, the older nude figure kneeling before the Madonna is Saint Jerome. On the back of the sheet Baglione jotted down a grocery list, reminding himself to pick up olives, apples . . . onions, eggplant and hinting to us the intimacy, informality, and importance of drawing in the artist's daily life.