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Source Description
The French engraver Claude Mellan spent time in Rome, where he developed a unique engraving style that uses simplified linear patterns and swelled lines to create optical, almost abstract effects. He made this image <em>St. Francis</em>, one of several featuring saints in the wilderness, just after he returned to Paris. The engraver’s inventive patterns of lines cross at small angles, creating moiré effects, so that the surface seems to shimmer.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
668222
label
St. Francis
core
obj
dtoType
print
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
668222
contentType
print
title
St. Francis
description
The French engraver Claude Mellan spent time in Rome, where he developed a unique engraving style that uses simplified linear patterns and swelled lines to create optical, almost abstract effects. He made this image <em>St. Francis</em>, one of several featuring saints in the wilderness, just after he returned to Paris. The engraver’s inventive patterns of lines cross at small angles, creating moiré effects, so that the surface seems to shimmer.
date
1638
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q124246928
creators
13505
genreSpecific
Print
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 47.6 x 31.6 cm (18 3/4 x 12 7/16 in.); Matted: 60.5 x 44.1 cm (23 13/16 x 17 3/8 in.); Image: 44.6 x 28.9 cm (17 9/16 x 11 3/8 in.)
cul
France
accession
2023.159
Source extras
tec
engraving
tombstone
St. Francis, 1638. Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Engraving; sheet: 47.6 x 31.6 cm (18 3/4 x 12 7/16 in.); matted: 60.5 x 44.1 cm (23 13/16 x 17 3/8 in.); image: 44.6 x 28.9 cm (17 9/16 x 11 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, James Parmelee Fund, 2023.159
collection
PR - Engraving
inscriptions
inscription
WATERMARK: letters (indisctinct)
didYouKnow
Notice how the engraver portrayed the cloak of St. Francis with patches of parallel, swelled lines placed at different angles.
catalogueRaisonne
Montaiglon 71; Inventaire du fonds français (XVIIe siècle) 73
creditline
James Parmelee Fund
updatedAt
2026-06-10 19:52:30.684000
sourceId
668222
dept
Prints
coll
PR - Engraving
med
engraving
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
c00979c546694d35