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The Penance of Saint John Chrysostom

A work made of engraving, on paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving, on paper.

Date:

c. 1510

Artist:

attributed to Giulio Campagnola
Italian, c. 1482-1515/18

About this artwork

This luminous unique impression suggests a more linear version of Campagnola’s dappled, early stipple engraving style, characterized by many small dots in different sizes, volumes, and shades. The composition tells an apocryphal legend of Saint John Chrysostom, in which the saint, living as a hermit, seduces and impregnates the daughter of an emperor. Shocked by his own actions, John throws the princess from a cliff and vows never to rise from the ground in penance for his misdeeds. After the princess and her child are miraculously discovered still alive, John’s sins are forgiven. In Campagnola’s composition, the princess and child are presented in the foreground while John is depicted walking on all fours in the background. The female nude is reminiscent of Campagnola’s Woman Reclining in a Landscape.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Giulio Campagnola

Title

The Penance of Saint John Chrysostom

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1505–1515

Medium

Engraving, on paper

Dimensions

Plate: 14.3 × 11.5 cm (5 11/16 × 4 9/16 in.); Sheet: 14.9 × 11.6 cm (5 7/8 × 4 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Clarence Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1950.159

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/68511/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.

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