A miracle of St Torello the Hermit 1585 - 1644

Giovanni Biliverti made this drawing, A Miracle of St Torello the Hermit, in pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk. The miracle depicted here reinforces the idea of the Hermit as an ascetic ideal within the Catholic church. Notice how the architectural ruins in the background emphasize the Hermit's separation from civilization. This drawing likely came about during the Counter-Reformation in Italy. The Hermit was held up as an example of piety against what the Catholic church saw as the excesses of the Protestant Reformation. The grid that underlies the drawing is intriguing. It reminds us that the artist's vision and the social role of the artwork were both facilitated by the institution of the workshop. To understand this drawing better, one could research the history of the Counter-Reformation and the lives of the Saints who exemplified its values. Art history reminds us that every image is embedded in a complex web of social and institutional relations.