Miracle of Bishop Saint
n.d.
Medium
Red chalk, transfered onto cream laid paper, laid down on tan laid paper with blue fibers
Dimensions
27.7 × 17.5 cm (10 15/16 × 6 15/16 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
93624
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate *Miracle of Bishop Saint*, red chalk drawing by Pietro Santi housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department. This intimate work, measuring just 27.7 × 17.5 cm, a sacred moment—likely a bishop saint performing a divine miracle—rendered with the subtle warmth and tonal depth characteristic of red chalk. The medium's earthy hue, derived from iron oxide, was favored by draftsmen from the Renaissance through the Baroque for its versatility in modeling forms and suggesting volume, evoking flesh tones and soft lighting with remarkable sensitivity. What ma...