The Vision of Saint Dominic, with God the Father and Christ at Top Center, the Virgin Standing Below on the Crescent Moon, and Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic in the Foreground
Original title: The vision of Saint Dominic, with God the Father and Christ at top center, the Virgin standing below on the crescent moon, and Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic in the foreground
kurzbeschreibung
Raphael Sadeler II engraved this vision of Saint Dominic in 1607. God the Father and Christ are enthroned in the heavens above, Mary stands between them on a crescent moon, and in the foreground Saints Dominic and Francis kneel in prayer.
Description
The layout is strictly symmetrical. God the Father and Christ sit on a throne at the top, surrounded by angels. Below them Mary hovers on a crescent moon, also attended by angels. At the bottom two saints kneel, Dominic and Francis. The subject is densely populated and finely detailed, crowded with religious symbols. Everything is monochrome, in the manner of an engraving, with an even spread of light.
Context
Raphael Sadeler II was a Flemish engraver who worked in Venice around 1600 and later in Munich. He made this print in 1607, at a time when the Catholic Church, in the wake of the Reformation, placed greater emphasis on the veneration of saints and on visions. Sadeler often worked from designs by other artists, and in this way helped circulate religious imagery through prints.
Impact
Symmetry and a clear hierarchy among the figures give the sheet a solemn, devotional mood. The delicate engraving and the wealth of detail reward a longer look and heighten the spiritual exaltation of the event.
Technique
The image was made as an engraving: lines are cut into a copper plate, which is then inked and printed onto paper, producing a monochrome picture of precise, fine lines. The even lighting is typical of the technique, which has no half tones.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)