Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) 1695 - 1705

Paolo Gerolamo Piola made this drawing of Christ in the House of Martha and Mary with pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash on blue paper. Made in Italy sometime around the late 17th or early 18th century, this drawing depicts a biblical scene, which would have resonated with the religious culture of the time. Consider the institutional history of artistic training during this period in Italy. Artists were often trained in academies that had close ties to the Catholic Church and the aristocracy. This drawing may have been produced for a wealthy patron or as a study for a larger religious painting intended for a church. The architecture in the background, including the archway adorned with cherubic figures, might allude to the grandeur of religious institutions and to the wealth and power of the Catholic Church at the time. As an art historian, I would want to research the patronage networks and religious institutions of Piola’s time to understand the artwork’s intended audience and function. Examining records of commissions, religious treatises, and contemporary accounts would give further insights into the social context.