Saint Matthew
Lucas Van Leyden (1494-1533), Saint Matthew, engraving, circa 1510. Reference: New Hollstein, Bartsch 98, from the Apostle Series; a New Hollstein a/b impression. [signed with the initial L lower left] In good condition, trimmed outside of the borderline, on or just inside of the platemark all around, archival mounting, 4 5/8 x 3 inches, 117 x 73mm, archival window mounting.
A very good impression.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. Karl Herweg, with his stamp verso; also two unidentified partial collectors marks, one a partial stamp, the other an inked mark (JO?) recto bottom right. Dr. Herweg was a distinguished collector of old master prints.
At this early stage in his career Lucas was achieving tone through the use of extensive cross-hatching, which is quite evident in Saint Matthew. He was also working to create figures that had substance and self-confidence, and he realized that aim in the Apostle engravings; his approach to drawings of the human figure did not change substantially after this series.
St. Matthew, who was a tax collector before he became one of the Apostles, is here shown, as customarily, holding a halberd (a pole held with two arms which incorporates an axe blade, a spear point, and a pick/hammer beak). He may have used this weapon to assist in his tax collecting work.