Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
Original title: Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many contemporary depictions of Saint Lawrence, this 1571 engraving by Cornelis Cort draws the action tightly around the saint as he lies on a wooden block. Soldiers and onlookers press in close, while the martyrdom itself becomes the dominant subject of the image. The plate was executed as an engraving.
Description
Saint Lawrence lies on a wooden block; two soldiers prod him with sticks while a third holds a torch to the wood. Around them stand further soldiers and spectators, their postures varied. An angel hovers above the scene, and at the upper right a praying woman can be made out. Clouds and smoke fill the space behind the figures and drive the drama forward. Fine lines and hatching define contours and surfaces, and everything remains in a single colour.
Context
The Dutchman Cornelis Cort made his name chiefly with reproductive engravings after Italian masters. This sheet dates from 1571, during his years in Italy, when he worked in the orbit of various publishers. The martyrdom of Saint Lawrence in 258 was among the subjects taken up most often in Catholic art of the Counter-Reformation.
Impact
The many figures and the rising clouds of smoke produce a restless, tense layout. Precise, richly detailed linework gives the print depth and keeps drawing the viewer's eye back to the central figure of the saint.
Technique
For an engraving, the lines are cut into a copper plate and afterwards printed on paper. This method allows an extremely fine and controlled line, as the hatching makes clear. That the result stays in one colour is inherent to the technique.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)