The Bodies of Saints Peter and Paul Hidden in the Catacombs
Medium
Etching and drypoint in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 28.8 × 20.5 cm (11 3/8 × 8 1/8 in.); Plate: 28.9 × 20.6 cm (11 7/16 × 8 1/8 in.); Sheet: 30 × 20.8 cm (11 13/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
221699
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was one of the most original graphic artists of the 17th century, exchanging prints and ideas with his contemporary Rembrandt. This ambitious composition reflects the influence of Rembrandt’s luminous compositions in which Christian tales are transformed into something metaphysical. The subject derives from the Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voraigne, which suggests that the saints’ bodies were cast into a well near the clandestine catacomb vault, seen here in Castigl...
About the Artist
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione · 1609–1664
Versatile and eclectic artist open to foreign influence which was unusual for an Italian artist of his time. Some of his best-known works are somewhat fantastical. He was court painter at Mantua from 1648. Comment on works: Religious; Landscapes; Animals; Mythology.