The Virgin of Sorrows: Angel; one of nine surrounding compartments from the Virgin of Sorrows, now separated

Art Historical Context

Behold this delicate engraving, *The Virgin of Sorrows Angel*, created by the masterful Italian printmaker Giorgio Ghisi by1575. One of nine surrounding compartments from the now-separated *Virgin of Sorrows* series, it captures a single angel in intimate detail on a tiny sheet measuring just 2 13/16 × 2 3/16 inches. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department this work exemplifies the Renaissance-era devotion to the Mater Dolorosa, the sorrowful Virgin Mary, flanked by celestial guardians. Ghisi, a leading engraver of the Mannerist period active in Italy and Antwerp, was renowned for his precise burin work—incising fine lines into copper plates to produce rich, tonal prints. This technique allowed for exceptional clarity and depth in small formats, making such images accessible for personal piety or collectors' albums. The angel's poised form, likely evoking protection and divine sympathy, reflects the era's blend of spiritual intensity and refined elegance. As part of a dispersed larger composition, this print highlights the fragility of historical collections and the enduring appeal of Ghisi's reproductive artistry, which bridged painting and printmaking to spread sacred imagery across Europe. A gem for devotees of 16th-century devotional art!

About the Artist

Giorgio Ghisi · 1520–1582

Giorgio Ghisi (c. 1520–1582) was one of the most accomplished engravers of the Italian Renaissance, renowned for translating the monumental compositions of Raphael, Giulio Romano, and Michelangelo into the exacting medium of the burin. Born in Mantua, he trained in an environment shaped by the legacy of Giulio Romano's decoration of the Palazzo del Te, and the grandeur of that Mannerist tradition ...