Saint Simon standing, supporting a book on his right thigh, from "Christ and the Apostles"
ca. 1548–50
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 8 11/16 x 4 1/2 in. (22 x 11.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.70.3(167)
Tags
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 ...
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...