The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1540–50, Met-Objekt 5885)
Original title: The Miraculous Draught of Fishes
kurzbeschreibung
An etching from the School of Fontainebleau, made around 1540–50, brings the biblical story of the miraculous draught of fishes before the eye. The anonymous French print presents figures on the shore and in a boat, with a city rising behind them.
Description
In the foreground a man kneels on the bank, holding a fish in both hands; around him others sit and stand. Toward the back, a group works from a boat with lance and nets. Towers and buildings of a town close off the view. The grey tones come from dense hatching, and the light falls evenly, leaving marked shadows absent.
Context
The School of Fontainebleau, the centre of Mannerism in France, produced this etching; it flourished under King Francis I and Henry II and carried Italian artistic ideals across the Alps. The miraculous draught belonged to the fixed repertoire of Christian iconography and stood for the calling of the apostles.
Impact
From the even lighting and delicate lines arises a calm, contemplative mood. Everyday fishing activity and sacred meaning join in a way that invites reflection.
Technique
The drawing was scratched into a wax layer on a copper plate and then etched; printing was in a single colour. In this way the fine hatching and lines create the tonal values of the monochrome sheet.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)