St. Paul (after Lombard)
1530–76
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 7 13/16 x 4 3/4 in. (19.8 x 12.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Georgiana W. Sargent, in memory of John Osborne Sargent, 1924
Accession Number
24.63.2046
Art Historical Context
Created by the Flemish engraver Lambert Suavius between 1530 and 1576, this small yet finely detailed print depicts Saint Paul after a design by the Liège artist Lambert Lombard. Measuring just under eight inches in height, the engraving exemplifies the reproductive printmaking practices that flourished during the Renaissance, when artists translated paintings and drawings into portable engravings that could circulate widely across Europe. Suavius’s precise line work captures the saint’s contemplative expression and flowing robes, demonstrating the medium’s ability to convey both texture and ...
About the Artist
Lambert Suavius · 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...