Saint Noppurga, from Bavaria Sancta: The Life and Martyrdom of Holy Men and Women (Vol. III)

Art Historical Context

Discover the intricate engraving *Saint Noppurga, from Bavaria Sancta: Life and Martyrdom Holy Men and Women (. III)*, created in 1627 by the masterful engraver Raphael Sadeler II a design by Johann Matthias K. Measuring just 8 7/8 × 5 13/16 inches, this delicate print captures the revered Bavarian saint amid her devotional life, rendered with fine lines and dramatic contrasts typical of Baroque religious art. Produced during the height of the Counter-Reformation *Bavaria Sancta* was a monumental multi-volume series celebrating the lives and martyrdoms of Bavaria's holy figures. Sadeler II, from a renowned dynasty of Flemish engravers, and Kager, an Augsburg-based painter known for his theatrical compositions, collaborated to produce affordable images that fueled Catholic piety and regional pride in Catholic strongholds like Bavaria. Engravings like this were revolutionary for their time, allowing widespread dissemination of sacred imagery through precise metal-plate incisions inked and pressed onto paper. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), it exemplifies how art bridged devotion and craftsmanship, inviting 17th-century viewers—and us today—to reflect on Saint Noppurga's enduring legacy of faith.

About the Artist

Raphael Sadeler II|Johann Matthias Kager (Italian|Flemish) · 1555 |1584 –1621 |1632

Italian, Castelfranco ca. 1560–1621 Venice|Flemish, Antwerp 1584–1632 Munich