The Holy Spirit Descending upon the Apostles
Original title: The Holy Spirit as a bird descending with spread wings at top center; the twelve Apostles standing below gesturing to it in front of an archway
kurzbeschreibung
Where many Pentecost scenes crowd the apostles together in a single room, this engraving by Domenico Campagnola from 1518 lifts the eye upward: a dove with wings spread wide hovers above the twelve apostles. The plate measures 18.7 × 17.5 cm.
Description
The dove's wings stretch out symmetrically across the upper part of the image, a field it occupies alone. Beneath it the twelve apostles are dispersed, some with raised hands, others gazing upward. An arch frames the arrangement and suggests a sacred interior. Everything is oriented toward the dove. Fine hatching and linework model light and shadow in black and white.
Context
Domenico Campagnola, an Italian engraver and painter of the Renaissance, worked in Padua and Venice. This print was made around 1518, at a time when religious prints circulated widely, both for private devotion and for the art market. Stylistically Campagnola followed models such as Giulio Campagnola and the Venetian painting of his day. The Pentecost subject draws on the Acts of the Apostles.
Impact
The balanced arrangement and the centered dove give the sheet a calm, solemn feel. At the same time the varied gestures of the apostles lend it liveliness, making the gravity of the moment palpable. The clear draftsmanship gives the image precision and a devotional undertone.
Technique
A burin cut the lines into the copper plate, a process that here allows fine hatching and cross-hatching for graded tones and modeled shadows. The print was pulled on paper; the plate measures 18.7 × 17.5 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)