Saint Bartholomew
c. 1548
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1974.34.4
Art Historical Context
Created around 1548, Lambert Suavius’s engraving *Saint Bartholomew* offers a striking example of mid-sixteenth-century printmaking. As a reproductive medium, engraving allowed artists to circulate devotional images across Europe with remarkable precision, reaching audiences far beyond the walls of churches or private chapels. Suavius, working in the Low Countries, used the technique to render the apostle with careful attention to line and texture, inviting viewers to contemplate both the saint’s martyrdom and his spiritual significance. The choice of laid paper as support further enhances th...
About the Artist
Lambert Suavius · 1510–1576
Lambert Suavius (c.1510–c.1574/76), whose Flemish family name was Zutman, was born in Liège, in the southern Netherlands. He was the son of an episcopal goldsmith, Henri Zutman, and from his father's craft environment he inherited a training in the precise handling of metal and an appreciation for fine detail work. He became closely associated with his brother-in-law Lambert Lombard, the leading a...