Virgin and Child with Saints Peter and John the Baptist (recto); Saint John the Baptist (verso)

This drawing of the Virgin and Child with Saints Peter and John the Baptist was created by Pietro d' Asaro, a Sicilian artist active in the early to mid-17th century. During this time Sicily was under Spanish rule, deeply entrenched in the religious and political tensions of the Counter-Reformation. Asaro lived in a society marked by rigid social hierarchies and strong religious beliefs. His artistic career unfolded against a backdrop of intense religious fervor and the Baroque style that dominated the era. While little is known about Asaro's personal life, his surviving works suggest a familiarity with both local Sicilian traditions and broader European artistic trends. This drawing is rooted in traditional Christian iconography. The drawing seems to explore a divine narrative through the male gaze, a visual rhetoric prevalent in religious art of the period. But the depiction of the Virgin and Child is infused with a certain tenderness, offering a glimpse into the emotional and personal dimensions of faith in 17th-century Sicily.