Saint Mathias
Original title: Saint Mathias
kurzbeschreibung
Simon de la Vallée made this print of Saint Matthias, an apostle of the New Testament, in 1726, working in etching with engraving. The saint wears a long biblical robe with a sash and holds a book or sheet in his right hand; an axe head lies at his feet. The image is a black-and-white print that belongs to eighteenth-century French art.
Description
Matthias stands upright, turned slightly to the left, and fills the middle of the picture. A sash lies over the long robe; his right hand grasps a book or sheet, while the left is raised a little. An axe head on the ground points to his martyrdom. Clouds and trees form the setting and give the scene a quiet, natural frame. The arrangement feels balanced and centred entirely on the figure of the saint.
Context
The Frenchman Simon de la Vallée was active in the early eighteenth century; this sheet dates from 1726, a time when religious subjects were common in printmaking. The axe head follows the iconographic tradition that marks Matthias as a martyr. The print belongs to a series of apostle depictions made for private devotion or for collectors.
Impact
Precise lines and graded shading render the robe and the setting realistically. The calm, balanced layout and the peaceful landscape give the saint a dignified, contemplative presence. Because the print stays in a single colour, the draughtsmanship and the details of the subject stand out clearly.
Technique
Etching and engraving are combined here, which allows fine lines and nuanced shading. Textures and effects of light can thus be captured exactly, as they appear in the clothing and in the setting. Trimmed, the sheet measures 34.1 × 21.7 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)