Saint Mark c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have Agostino Veneziano's "Saint Mark," etched sometime around the early 16th century. It's a fascinating composition, Mark seated on clouds, lion beneath his feet... almost floating. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: It's the tender vulnerability, isn't it? Despite the divine radiance and symbolic lion, his gaze is cast downward, lost in thought. Veneziano captures a moment of human contemplation within the saintly figure. Are those clouds or churning waves beneath him, I wonder? Editor: Waves? That’s interesting. I hadn’t considered that. Curator: Perhaps a symbolic gesture towards his evangelism spreading, or the stormy seas he crossed, metaphorically or literally. What a powerful statement of faith! Editor: It’s amazing how much depth is packed into such a simple image.