S. Isidorus, S. Vincentius, S. Hyacinthus
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
plate: 9 1/8 x 6 5/16 in. (23.1 x 16.1 cm) sheet: 11 3/16 x 8 1/16 in. (28.4 x 20.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.600.225
Art Historical Context
Behold *S. Isidorus, S. Vincentius, S Hyacinthus* (1760), a finely wrought engraving that captures the devotional spirit of 18th-century Venice. Created after a design by Giovanni Battista Piazz, the celebrated Rococo artist known for his dramatic lighting and emotive figures, this print was expertly engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi and Joseph Wagner. It depicts three revered saints—Isidore (likely the humble farmer-saint), Vincent (the martyr or charitable figure), and Hyacinth (the Polish Dominican missionary)—arranged in a harmonious composition that invites contemplation. Engraving, the m...
About the Artist
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta|Francesco Bartolozzi|Joseph Wagner · 1682–1754
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta was born in Venice in 1682 and trained first under his father, the sculptor and woodcarver Giacomo Piazzetta, before turning decisively to painting. The crucial formative experience of his career came when he traveled to Bologna to study under Giuseppe Maria Crespi, whose dramatic use of chiaroscuro — strong contrasts of light and shadow rooted in the Caravaggesque trad...