St. Andrew

During a trip to London in the 1720s, art connoisseur, collector, and printmaker Antonio Zanetti acquired 130 Parmigianino drawings from collector Lord Arundel, prompting him to develop a chiaroscuro woodcut process similar to that used in the sixteenth century in order to reproduce the Italian artist’s works in print. This chiaroscuro woodcut featuring “Saint Andrew” is a copy in reverse after one created by Antonio Zanetti. It appears to be related to an illustration included in a 1766 treatise on the practice of woodcuts (Jean-Michel Papillon’s “Traité historique et pratique de la gravure en bois,” volume 1). Here the New Testament apostle Andrew stands with his body twisted and his head in profile as he holds the x-shaped cross that is the attribute of his martyrdom. Three tone blocks of dark brown, light brown, and tan form the image.