Saint Bartholomew c. 1527 - 1530

Curator: This is an etching of Saint Bartholomew, an anonymous work housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. What stands out to you? Editor: Well, immediately, the raw, almost unfinished quality catches my eye. You can really see the etched lines, the materiality of the process itself. Curator: Indeed, and that rawness lends itself to the emotional weight. Bartholomew is often depicted with his own flayed skin, a symbol of his martyrdom. Editor: Right, and here, even without that specific imagery, the tattered robe and haggard face speak to suffering and endurance. But the etching process itself… Curator: It mirrors the symbolic "tearing away," doesn’t it? The etching, like the flaying, reveals something underneath. Editor: That connection deepens my appreciation, knowing the printmaking highlights the saint’s ordeal, his labor and ours, reflected in the medium. Curator: A striking way to connect faith, suffering, and the very act of creation. Editor: Absolutely, seeing the labor makes the symbolism even more profound.