St. Luke Painting the Virgin
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 4 1/8 x 2 11/16 in. (10.5 x 6.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.601.220
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intricate engraving *St. Luke Painting the* from 1625, French engraver Claude Mellan a revered artistic tradition, likely reproducing a composition by the Baroque master Simon Vouet. The scene depicts St. Luke, patron saint of painters, reverently portraying the Madonna and Child—a motif rooted in medieval legend portraying Luke as the first artist to depict the Virgin Mary from life. This small-scale print (just 4 1/8 x 2 11/16 inches) invites close contemplation, blending Vouet's dramatic Baroque style with Mellan's virtuoso technique. Vouet, who introduced Italianate grandeur to Fre...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan|Simon Vouet · 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...