
Gemito produced this drawing as part of a design competition for a monument to Pope Pius X installed above a doorway in St. Peter's Basilica. This is one of several studies for the figure of Faith (see also Milan, Collezione d'arte della Fondazione Cariplo), which would have appeared in the lower section. Gemito did not ultimately secure the commission, but the figure's upturned face and fervent gaze suggest the spiritual intensity intended in the monument.
Signed lower right, V. Gemito / 23 Marzo 1916
Consalazio, Gabriele, former owner.
Mavec, Janet, former owner.
Gabriele Consalazio, Vincenzo Gemito, Florence, 1951, pl. 34