Saint Receiving Monk's Habit

Description:

Abbé Jean-Claude-Richard de Saint-Non made this aquatint from a drawing by Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) of an altarpiece by Guercino in the church of San Gregorio in Bologna, Italy. While visiting Rome, Saint-Non invited Fragonard, then at the French Academy in Rome, to accompany him on a tour of northern Italy to visit sites of historic and artistic interest. Fragonard made more than 300 sketches, some of which Saint-Non used as a basis for prints that were issued in Paris between 1770 and 1774.

Saint-Non, a wealthy amateur etcher assisted by Jean-Baptiste Delafosse, a professional printmaker, invented a successful aquatint process in 1765. In this process, the artist dusts rosin powder onto a copper plate, which is heated to adhere the rosin. The plate is then etched in acid to create a rough surface that captures the ink to provide tonal areas in the print.

The painting by Guercino (1591–1666) shows Saint William dressed in armor putting on a monk’s habit before Saint Benedict of Aniane. Saint William, formerly the Duke of Aquitaine, had fought bravely against Moorish invaders in Spain and France, but in 806 he retired from the world to become a monk in the monastery he had founded.

Date Made: 1772

Original Artist: Fragonard, Jean-HonoréGraphic Artist: Saint-Non, Jean Claude Richard deOriginal Artist: Guercino, Giovanni Francesco Barbieri

Location: Currently not on view

Subject: SaintsFrench

Subject:

See more items in: Work and Industry: Graphic Arts, Ferris Collection, Communications, Religion, Art

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: GA.14830Catalog Number: 14830Accession Number: 94830

Object Name: printObject Type: Aquatint

Physical Description: paper (overall material)ink (overall material)Measurements: image: 19.5 cm x 13.5 cm; 7 11/16 in x 5 5/16 inplate: 20.5 cm x 15 cm; 8 1/16 in x 5 7/8 insheet: 33 cm x 47.5 cm; 13 in x 18 11/16 in

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a8-88fe-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_1002357

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