Sibilla con cartiglio

Sumptuously dressed in oriental attire, the Sibyl is looking intently at a point beyond the canvas as she delicately unrolls the scroll of prophecies. It belonged to Sir Denis Mahon, who attributed it to Guercino because of the extraordinary quality of the painting, characterised by a loose ductus, a robust modulation of chiaroscuro and a keen attention to detail. The young prophetess is closely related to the Saint Irene in the Irene Tending Saint Sebastian in the Pinacoteca, commissioned by Cardinal Jacopo Serra in 1619.