St. Bartholomew, from Christ and the Apostles

Art Historical Context

**St. Bartholomew, fromChrist and the Apostles***Step into the world of 16th-century Flemish printmaking with this striking engraving of St. Bartholomew, one of Twelve Apostles. Created between 1530 and 1576 by Lambert Suav, Lambert Lombard, and Andreas Fridrich the Elder it forms part of a devotional series depicting Christ and his followers. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this work entered the collection through The Elisha Whittelsey Fund in 1949, the Met's commitment to preserving Renaissance-era prints. Engravings like this were revolutionary in the Northern Renaissance, allowing intricate designs to be reproduced and shared widely across Europe. Artists such as Lombard, a pioneering Flemish engraver, mastered the burin technique—incising fine lines into a copper plate to capture expressive details in the saint's robes, attributes (like his flayed skin), and solemn gaze. The medium democratized religious art, bringing apostolic stories into homes and churches during a time of spiritual fervor amid the Reformation. A unique feature: this print is backed with another by J.A. Fridrich, a practical 16th-century method to reinforce fragile sheets for longevity. Gaze closely to appreciate how these masters blended Northern precision with emerging classical influences, inviting reflection on faith and artistry.

About the Artist

Lambert Suavius|Lambert Lombard|Jakob Andreas Fridrich the Elder · 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...