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Marcantonio Raimondi

The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence

Description

Maker

Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, ca. 1480-ca. 1534)
After Baccio Bandinelli (Italian, 1493-1560), designer

Title

The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence

Year

ca. 1525

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

engraving

Supports

Dimensions

43.2 x 58.1 cm (17 x 22 7/8 inches) (plate)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Lettered LL, within image with Marcantonio's monogram "MAF" and "Baccius / Brandin. /Inven."

Watermark: croissant below a cross (Briquet 5221 sim.)

Identification

State

state ii/ii

Standard Reference Number

Bartsch XIV.89.104; Delaborde 134.85.11

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund

Object Number

59.085

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

  • Books

The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650

Renaissance engravings are objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy that are composed entirely of lines. Artists began using this intaglio process in Europe as early as 1430. This captivating catalogue focuses on the height of the medium, from 1480 to 1650, when engravers made dramatic and rapid visual changes to engraving technique as they responded to the demands of reproducing artworks in other media. The Brilliant Line follows these visual transformations and offers new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque (Early Modern) engravers. The three essays discuss how engraving’s restrictive materials and the physical process of engraving informed its visual language; the context for the spread of particular engraving styles throughout Europe; and the interests, knowledge, and skills that Renaissance viewers applied when viewing and comparing engravings by style or school.

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

The Brilliant Line
Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650
Sep 18, 2009 – Jan 03, 2010

Label copy

This engraving depicts the martyrdom of the St. Lawrence, a deacon of the Roman church who was executed during the reign of Valerian in 258 CE. According to legend, St. Lawrence was put to death by being grilled on grid-iron over a fire. Marcantonio’s engraving system includes a delicate outline and extremely fine hatching concentrating on the edges of the form. In the darkest areas, evenly spaced, parallel c-curves cross the form. The overall symmetry of the composition is reinforced by balanced transitions from dark to gray to the white of the paper on each figure and form.

Master Prints from the Permanent Collection
Jun 21, 1985 – Sep 08, 1985
Drawings and Prints of the First Maniera
Feb 22, 1973 – Mar 25, 1973

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Marcantonio Raimondi (Italian, ca. 1480-ca. 1534)
After Baccio Bandinelli (Italian, 1493-1560), designer
The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, ca. 1525
Engraving, trimmed to platemark
43.2 x 58.1 cm (17 x 22 7/8 inches) (plate)
Museum Works of Art Fund 59.085

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