Apostel Simon Zelotes met zaag 1517 - 1527

This engraving of Saint Simon Zelotes with a saw was created by Marcantonio Raimondi. The composition immediately draws your eye to the figure’s turned back and how he's holding a saw, which seems oddly juxtaposed against the halo floating above his head. The artist has used a dense network of lines to create the image. Notice how the parallel lines create a sense of volume and depth, particularly in the folds of the drapery. The shading accentuates the curves and contours of the body, giving a sculptural quality to the figure. The saw itself becomes a signifier of his martyrdom, a brutal tool contrasting with the saintly representation. This interplay of religious symbolism and stark realism challenges established meanings, inviting us to reconsider traditional hagiography through a lens that incorporates both the sacred and the corporeal. Ultimately, the formal choices underscore a larger discourse about faith, sacrifice, and the often-violent intersection of the divine and the earthly.