Apostel Simon Zelotes met zaag staand in nis 1517 - 1577

Curator: Let's discuss this striking engraving, "Apostel Simon Zelotes met zaag staand in nis," depicting the Apostle Simon Zelotes with a saw, standing in a niche. It's attributed to an anonymous artist and dates roughly from 1517 to 1577. What are your immediate impressions? Editor: I’m immediately struck by the textures! The linework describing the drapery is really dynamic but then contrasted with this cross-hatching that flattens the niche into near abstraction. I’m intrigued by the making. Curator: The textures, I believe, add depth and symbolic weight. The saw, so prominently displayed, speaks to Simon’s martyrdom, often associated with being sawn in half. It’s a grim reminder, juxtaposed with the book, which suggests divine wisdom and his role as an evangelist. The object and book are so iconic of who Simon represents, an almost continuous symbolic weight. Editor: Absolutely. The choice of engraving is fascinating, considering the historical context. It would allow for the wider dissemination of these images, creating almost a template or mass production of saintly virtue. It shifts ideas of devotion, right? From unique hand-made artworks to affordable reproductions? Curator: Precisely. Prints like this enabled a wider audience to connect with religious figures, fostering a sense of shared identity and belief but with each possessing a unique representation due to their materials and circumstances of procurement. It collapses social hierarchy. Editor: Thinking about labor... engraving is so deliberate. Every line requires careful planning and execution. We consider those artisanal skillsets differently today. Then, prints were easily handled; now, originals reside in climate-controlled museums. Curator: And it also alters how we perceive Simon's story. The image becomes almost a relic in itself, carrying its own cultural baggage through time and imbuing us as viewers with that baggage too. The saw doesn’t only mean execution but embodies all of its cultural iterations through the print. Editor: A tangible vehicle for cultural transmission and devotion? A very specific use for these cheap devotional images! Thank you; that really enriches my reading of this Apostle. Curator: A perspective that shifts us from simple figuration into continuous evolution of objecthood—very compelling!