St. Francis de Paul
Medium
Engraving; second state of three (BN)
Dimensions
sheet: 6 5/8 x 4 7/16 in. (16.8 x 11.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.3263
Tags
Art Historical Context
Claude Mellan's *St. Francis of Paola* is a striking 17th-century engraving capturing the revered Italian saint, founder of the Minim friars, who lived from 1416 to 1507. Known for his life of extreme penance and miracles, St. Francis is often depicted with symbols of mortality like skulls and crosses—evident here from the artwork's tags—reminding viewers of life's transience and the call to holiness. This print, measuring just 6 5/8 x 4 7/16 inches, invites contemplation in the tradition of Counter-Reformation art, where saints served as models of piety amid Europe's religious upheavals. As ...
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...