St. Thomas, from 'Christ, Mary and the Apostles'
late 16th century
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 21 5/8 x 15 3/4 in. (55 x 40 cm) plate: 20 1/2 x 14 5/8 in. (52 x 37.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.3398
Tags
Art Historical Context
**St. Thomas, fromChrist, Mary and the*** Antonio Tempesta (Italian, 1555–1630) and Nicolaus Aelst (Flemish, 1526–1613) collaborated on this striking etching in the late 16th century part of a larger series portraying Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the. Tempesta, a prolific Mannerist artist known for his dynamic compositions and biblical scenes, likely designed the image while van Aelst, a skilled engraver and publisher, brought it to life through precise printmaking. This depiction of St. Thomas—one of Jesus's apostles, often called "Doubting Thomas" for questioning the Resurrection—shows him...
About the Artist
Antonio Tempesta|Nicolaus van Aelst · 1555–1630
Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630), known as 'Il Tempestino,' was a Florentine painter and printmaker whose extraordinary output of approximately 1,700 etchings made him one of the most influential printmakers of the early Baroque period. Born in Florence and trained under Santi di Tito and the Flemish master Joannes Stradanus, he enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in 1576 before relocating to Rome i...