Portrait of Pope Alexander VII (Fabio Chigi)  1667

[i]Workshop of Giovanni Battista Gaulli[/i] [br]The stately figure of the pope sits before a lavish drapery suggesting an aristocratic setting. He raises his right hand with its papal ring in a gesture of benediction. By seeing the pope blessing his audience, viewers are reminded that he is Christ's representative on earth. Fabio Chigi, who became Pope Alexander VII, ruled...