S. Béninge, martyr (St. Benignus, Martyr), from November 1st, from "Les Images De Tous Les Saincts et Saintes de L'Année" (Images of All of the Saints and Religious Events of the Year)
Medium
Etching; second state of two (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 9/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.5 x 5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.17-371(385)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, *S. Béninge, martyr (St. Benus, Martyr)*, depicts the November 1st saint from Jacques Callot's renowned series *Les Images de Tous les Saincts etes de L'Année* (Images of All Saints and Religious Events of Year), published posthumously in 1636 by Israël Henriet. Callot a master of 17th-century French printmaking, captures St. Benignus—a lesser-known early Christian martyr—in a compact scene rich with Baroque drama. Created just after Callot's death in 1635, the series reflects the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on vivid hagiography, making saints accessible for devotiona...
About the Artist
Israël Henriet|Jacques Callot · 1585–1661
Israël Henriet (c. 1590–1661) stands as one of the most important figures in 17th-century French printmaking, not only as an accomplished engraver in his own right but as the principal publisher and preserver of Jacques Callot's extraordinary legacy. Born in Nancy, Lorraine, around 1590, Henriet belonged to an artistic family and grew up as a childhood friend of Callot, the preeminent printmaker o...