Terms and conditions of use
Saint Bartholomew
(1589)
no. 6 from the Christ, the Apostles and St Paul series 1589
Medium
engraving
Measurements
12.5 × 10.3 cm (image and sheet, trimmed within platemark)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1923
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
The Twelve Apostles were Jesus’s closest disciples and played a significant role in establishing Christian communities across the ancient world. Saint Bartholomew served as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia (modern-day Iran), Lycaonia (modern Turkey) and Armenia. He is believed to have been flayed and beheaded under the orders of the Armenian king Astyages. In his series Christ, the Apostles and St Paul, Dutch engraver Hendrick Goltzius depicts the saint holding a flaying knife, symbolising his martyrdom and unwavering faith.
Artwork Details
Catalogue/s Raisonné
New Hollstein 40; Bartsch III.49, p. 53; Strauss 272; Hollstein VIII.40; Hirschmann 40
Inscription
printed in ink (in image) l.l.: HG (monogram)
printed in ink l.c.: (...illeg.) (incomplete; sheet trimmed)
Accession Number
1278.217-3
Departments
International Prints / International Prints and Drawings
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Religion and Mythology
Subjects (specific)
apostles Bartolomew, Saint (Christian character) beards knives martyrs saints