Plate 6: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, from Genesis 32, after a lost fresco in the basamento of Bay 6 of the Vatican Loggia
Original title: Plate 6: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, from Genesis 32, after a lost fresco in the basamento of Bay 6 of the Vatican Loggia
kurzbeschreibung
Pietro Santi Bartoli made this etching between 1650 and 1677. It shows the Old Testament episode of Jacob wrestling with the angel. The source was a fresco in the base of Bay 6 of the Vatican Loggia, now lost. The subject belongs to a series of biblical scenes Bartoli produced after the Loggia frescoes.
Description
Jacob appears as a bearded man grappling with a winged angel, who seizes him from behind. A landscape with mountains and a gate fills the background. At left a figure lies on the ground, while at right another kneels in exhaustion; a dog stands between them. Beneath the scene is a Latin quotation from Genesis 32, verse 27.
Context
The etching was made as part of a series reproducing the frescoes executed by Raphael and his workshop in the Vatican Loggia. The Loggia served papal representation, and its decoration with biblical scenes had a programmatic character. In the seventeenth century reproductive prints played an important role in disseminating works of art. Because the underlying fresco is lost, Bartoli's print has special value as documentation.
Impact
A somber, dramatic lighting creates tension and emphasizes the struggle between Jacob and the angel. Fine lines and hatching give the image richness of detail and expression; the viewer is drawn into the biblical narrative.
Technique
In etching, the drawing is scratched into a metal plate, which is then etched with acid. This process allows fine lines and graduated hatching that bring out the sculptural presence of the figures and the atmospheric landscape. The print is in black and white, as is typical of etchings.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)