The Virgin of Sorrows: Angel; one of nine surrounding compartments from the Virgin of Sorrows, now separated
by 1575
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 13/16 × 2 1/4 in. (7.2 × 5.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.3487
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate engraving *The Virgin of Sorrows Angel*, one of nine surrounding compartments from now-separated larger composition, crafted by the masterful Italian engraver Giorgio Gh by 1575. Ghisi, active in the vibrant printmaking hubs of Italy and Antwerp, was renowned for his virtuoso technique in translating the grand designs of Renaissance masters into intimate prints. This tiny sheet, measuring just 2 13/16 × 2 1/4 inches, exemplifies the precision of engraving—an intaglio process where lines incised into a metal plate hold ink, allowing for exquisite detail and tonal depth on pa...
About the Artist
Giorgio Ghisi · 1520–1582
Giorgio Ghisi (c. 1520–1582) was one of the most accomplished engravers of the Italian Renaissance, renowned for translating the monumental compositions of Raphael, Giulio Romano, and Michelangelo into the exacting medium of the burin. Born in Mantua, he trained in an environment shaped by the legacy of Giulio Romano's decoration of the Palazzo del Te, and the grandeur of that Mannerist tradition ...