The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after Bandinelli

Art Historical Context

In the grand tradition of Renaissance printmaking, *The Martyrdom of Lawrence, after Bandinelli (ca. 1520) captures the dramatic suffering of the early Christian deacon Saint Lawrence, who was martyred by roasting on a gridiron in 258 AD. Engraved by the masterful Marcantonio Raimondi after a design by sculptor Baccio Bandinelli, second-state impression showcases the saint's muscular, nude form twisted in agony amid flames and tormentors, embodying the era's fascination with heroic male anatomy and religious pathos. Raimondi, a pioneering engraver from Bologna, revolutionized art dissemination by translating drawings of High Renaissance masters like Raphael into precise, reproducible prints. Bandinelli, a Florentine contemporary and rival to Michelangelo, provided the dynamic composition, emphasizing contrapposto poses and emotional intensity. The engraving's large scale—nearly 17 by 22 inches—allowed for intricate details in line work, from the saint's straining muscles to the flickering fire, making it a technical marvel of the medium. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this work highlights prints' role in 16th-century Europe as affordable "multiples" that spread Mannerist ideals of suffering and divinity to a wide audience, bridging elite sculpture with popular devotion.

About the Artist

Marcantonio Raimondi|Baccio Bandinelli · 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...