St. Benedict in Ecstasy
Medium
Engraving; third state of three
Dimensions
sheet: 19 9/16 x 13 5/16 in. (49.7 x 33.8 cm) plate: 17 9/16 x 11 5/8 in. (44.6 x 29.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1941
Accession Number
41.57.6
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this engraving, Saint Benedict kneels upon billowing clouds, his hooded robe falling in deep folds as he gazes upward toward a radiant orb suspended in the sky. One hand extends outward with an open palm while the other rests near his chest, suggesting a moment profound spiritual encounter. Fine parallel lines model the figure’s form and the surrounding atmosphere, creating subtle gradations of light and shadow across the composition. Claude Mellan produced this work, titled St. Benedict in Ecstasy, as an engraving in its third and final state. The French artist was celebrated for his distinctive technique of building tone and volume through unbroken lines rather than cross-hatching, lending the print a luminous, almost sculptural quality. Now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the image invites viewers to contemplate the saint’s visionary experience through Mellan’s refined command of the medium.
About the Artist
Claude Mellan · 1598–1688
Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...