Saint James the Great
1590/1605
Medium
Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, with opaque white watercolor, over black chalk, on cream laid paper, incised for transfer and laid down on buff laid
Classification
ink with wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
96176
Art Historical Context
Behold *Saint James the Great*, a masterful preparatory drawing by Flemish artist Jan van der Stra (also known as Johannesadanus), created between 1590 and1605. Working primarily in Florence for the Medici court, van der Straet bridged Northern European precision with Italian Renaissance grandeur, contributing to the Mannerist style through intricate designs for prints, tapestries, frescoes. This work captures the apostle—pilgrim's staff in hand, scallop shell emblematic of his Spanish shrine at Santiago de Compostela—in a dynamic pose that evokes devotion and wanderlust. Executed on cream la...