Saint Simon standing, supporting a book on his right thigh, from "Christ and the Apostles"

Art Historical Context

Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola), a prominent Venetian Mannerist artist active in the mid-16th century, created this etching around 1548–50 as part his series *Christ and the Apostles*. Simon—likely Simon the Zealot, one of Jesus's twelve apostles—is depicted standing confidently, a heavy book resting on his right thigh symbolizing his role as a teacher and guardian of sacred texts. Schiavone's dynamic pose and elongated proportions reflect Mannerism's elegant distortions, influenced by masters like Michelangelo and Parmigianino, blending religious devotion with artistic virtuosity. Etching was a relatively new technique in Venice at the time, and Schiavone was among the first to master it, using acid to bite intricate lines into metal plates for fluid, expressive strokes that captured the saint's muscular form and flowing drapery. This print, measuring 8 11/16 x 4 1/2 inches, exemplifies the medium's portability, allowing widespread dissemination of devotional imagery during the Counter-Reformation era. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926), this work highlights Schiavone's innovative printmaking, bridging painting and graphic arts while inviting viewers to contemplate apostolic wisdom through the saint's scholarly attribute—the book.

About the Artist

Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola) · 1510–1563

Andrea Schiavone, born Andrea Meldolla around 1510 or 1515 in Zara (modern Zadar, Croatia), in Venetian-ruled Dalmatia, hailed from a family rooted in Meldola near Forlì in Romagna, Emilia-Romagna. His father, Simon Meldolla, served as a garrison commander there, and both parents originated from Meldola, where the family held property into the early 16th century. Nicknamed "Schiavone"—"the Slav"—a...