Saint Francis visited by the Angel, from 'Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus célèbres tableaux de la Galerie Royale de Dresde'

Art Historical Context

This evocative etching, *Saint Francis Visited by the Angel*, a celebrated painting by Jusepe Ribera, the 17th-century Spanish Baroque known as "Lo Spagnoletto" (the Little Spaniard). Ribera's tenebrist style—dramatic contrasts of light and shadow—brings to life the saint's mystical encounter with a heavenly visitor, emphasizing themes of divine inspiration and humility central to Franciscan spirituality. The scene, enriched with angels and a coat of arms, the religious fervor of Counter-Reformation Europe. Created between 1730 and 1786 by French etcher Pierre Hutin and Venetian engraver Marco Alvise Pitteri, the print is part of the lavish *Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus célèbres tableaux de la Galerie Royale de Dresde*, a series that democratized access to the Dresden Gemäldegalerie's treasures for collectors across Europe. Etching's fine lines and tonal depth allowed faithful replication of Ribera's original oil, making elite art portable and affordable. Measuring 14 × 16 inches, this sheet entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection via the Rogers Fund in 1962. It offers visitors a window into 18th-century printmaking's role in cultural exchange, bridging Baroque drama with Enlightenment curiosity.