St John in profile facing left, from "Christ and the Apostles"

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching by Andrea Schiavone (also known as Andrea Meldola) captures Saint John in profile, facing left, as part of the artist’s series “Christ and the Apostles.” Created around 1548–50, the print belongs to a group of images that present the central figures of the New Testament in elegant, elongated profiles. Schiavone, a Venetian draftsman and printmaker active during the late Renaissance, used the etching technique to achieve fine, fluid lines that emphasize the saint’s contemplative expression and flowing hair. The profile format, drawn from classical sources, lends the figure a timeless, almost sculptural quality. Measuring just over eight by four inches, the sheet was designed for intimate viewing, allowing collectors to appreciate the subtle gradations of tone that etching could produce. Such prints played an important role in spreading artistic ideas across Europe at a time when original drawings and paintings remained accessible to only a privileged few. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1926 through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, this impression preserves the refined draftsmanship that made Schiavone’s graphic work admired by later generations of artists and collectors.

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...