Corpus Christi
before 1555
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 9 13/16 x 7 5/16 in. (25 x 18.5 cm) trimmed to platemark, lower margin trimmed
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.601.186
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Corpus Christi** by Battista Franco, created before 1555, is a striking example of 16th-century Italian printmaking housed in the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department. This etching and engraving measuring about 9 13/16 x 7 5/16 inches, captures a poignant religious scene featuring Christ and angels, evoking the solemn theme of the Body of Christ—a central motif in Renaissance devotion. Acquired through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund 1953, it reflects the era's deep Catholic spirituality amid the Counter-Reformation. Franco, a Venetian artist influenced by masters like Raph...
About the Artist
Battista Franco · 1510–1561
Battista Franco, known as il Semolei, was born in Venice around 1510, though his career unfolded largely in Rome and at the courts of central and northern Italy. He came to Rome in his twenties and immediately fell under two powerful spells: the inexhaustible riches of classical antiquity and the overwhelming presence of Michelangelo. Franco spent years making drawings after ancient sculptures and...