The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after Bandinelli

The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after Bandinelli

Marcantonio Raimondi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Like many of Bandinelli's projects, his commission to paint two large frescoes for the church of San Lorenzo in Florence came to nothing. However, his patron was so impressed by his drawing for the Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence that he granted him the Knighthood of Saint Peter. In order to spread the fame of this admired design, Bandinelli hired Marcantonio to engrave it. Bandinelli is said to have complained to the pope of Marcantonio's failings. However, when Clement VII compared the drawing and the print, he concluded that the engraver had corrected many of Bandinelli's errors.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after BandinelliThe Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after BandinelliThe Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after BandinelliThe Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after BandinelliThe Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, after Bandinelli

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.