Bas-reliëf op het altaar voor de heilige Jakobus de Meerdere in de Kathedraal van Pistoia, voorstellende de heilige Jacobus de Meerdere before 1864

This is an engraving of a bas-relief depicting Saint James the Great, made by Franz Kellerhoven in the 19th century. The image speaks to the endurance of religious themes in art but also the 19th-century vogue for medieval styles. This rendering of the Catholic Saint James the Great closely resembles the sculpture on the altar in the Cathedral of Pistoia, Italy, from the early 14th century. Kellerhoven’s engraving exemplifies the 19th-century enthusiasm for the Gothic past. The pointed arches and elongated figures of the bas-relief recall the architecture and sculpture of the medieval cathedrals. Kellerhoven gives us not just an image of a religious scene, but also a very distinct revivalist aesthetic. To understand this image fully, art historians consult archives, collections of prints and drawings, and architectural records. Only by situating art in its social and institutional context can we understand its complex meanings.