About this artwork
In this print, Wallerand Vaillant articulates landscape, figure, and atmosphere with the perfect subtlety of light. Mezzotint was a relatively new intaglio process in which the artist burnished out highlights and gradations, effectively erasing the darkness, from a completely roughened copper plate that would print black if left untouched. In the final state the artist added stars, as well as more definition to the clouds and landscape, and intensified the highlights of the figures and their respective objects (the staff of the Saint, and the world held by the Christ-child). The result is a tonally richer composition.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Wallerand Vaillant
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Title
- Saint Christopher
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Place
- Netherlands (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1665–1677
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Medium
- Mezzotint in black on ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Image/plate: 16.9 × 21.9 cm (6 11/16 × 8 5/8 in.); Sheet: 17.6 × 22.7 cm (6 15/16 × 8 15/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Joseph Brooks Fair Collection
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Reference Number
- 1967.34a
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/191342/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.