Saint James Major, book is his right hand, staff in his left facing right, from "Piccoli Santi" (Small Saints)

Art Historical Context

Behold *Saint James Major* from the "Piccoli" (Small Saints), a delicate engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi after a design by the Renaissance master Raphael (Rello Sanzio da Urbino). Dated around 1500–1527, this intimate print measures just 3 1/8 x 1 7/8 inches, capturing the facing right, book in his right hand and pilgrim's staff in his left—a classic attribute symbolizing his journeys and martyrdom. Raimondi, a pioneering engraver of the High Renaissance, masterfully reproduced Raphael's compositions, making the artist's grand visions accessible through affordable prints. This work exemplifies the era's reproductive printmaking boom, which democratized art for devout collectors and pilgrims. Part of a series devoted to saints, it reflects the period's fervent Catholic spirituality, where small-scale images like these served as portable aids for personal devotion amid the Counter-Reformation's rise. The engraving's fine lines and meticulous detail showcase Raimondi's technical virtuosity, translating Raphael's graceful idealism into enduring black-and-white precision. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this gem invites us to appreciate how Renaissance ingenuity bridged divine iconography with innovative craft.

About the Artist

Marcantonio Raimondi|Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi) · 1475–1534

Marcantonio Raimondi (c. 1480–1534), born near Bologna, Italy, emerged as one of the Renaissance's premier engravers, revolutionizing printmaking through his mastery of reproductive techniques. He trained in the workshop of the goldsmith, painter, and niellist Francesco Francia, whose influence is evident in his early engravings, such as the goldsmith-like shading in *Pyramus and Thisbe* (1505), h...