The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, after Raphael
Original title: The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, after Raphael
kurzbeschreibung
A chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in warm brown, made by Niccolò Vicentino between 1540 and 50 and republished in 1609. It shows a group of men in a boat hauling in their nets, with a mountainous landscape beyond. The design goes back to an invention by Raphael, rendered here in muted brown tones.
Description
A shallow boat pushes in from the lower edge, its length emphasised by the broad, horizontal arrangement of the figures within it. Some crouch amidships, leaning forward; others stand toward the stern in motion, one holding the net there. Behind the vessel, a landscape of hills and a watercourse opens up. The garments look antique, and the overall tone stays mostly grey with brown passages. Soft light runs along the edges of the bodies.
Context
The print was made in mid-sixteenth-century Italy, at a time when printed graphics after Raphael circulated widely. Vicentino had specialised in chiaroscuro woodcuts, which could imitate the effect of drawings or paintings. That a new edition appeared in 1609 speaks for sustained interest in Raphael's inventions. The underlying original treats the miraculous draught of fishes from the Gospel of Luke and was carried much further through engravings.
Impact
Stillness and movement lie close together here: the subdued browns and soft light give the scene something painterly, almost draughtsmanlike. Because the boat runs across the sheet, the eye follows the figures along and lingers on their handling of the nets. The layout thus carries the narrative of the fish catch without obscuring it.
Technique
Printed from three woodblocks in tan and brown, with the superimposed plates creating the gradations of tone and giving the bodies volume. The hatching and contours are set sparingly and decisively; they outline figures and landscape precisely. The sheet measures 23.5 x 34.5 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)