Patron Saints of Bologna

Engraving, 1515 – 1520 circa, signed at lower left IF.

Excellent example, printed on contemporary laid paper, trimmed close to platemark, in very good condition.
The print was originally known as Five Saints; Hind gave it its current title, believing that four of Bologna’s patron saints were depicted around the Virgin. While Hind’s identification of three of the male saints seems to be correct, the central figure can hardly represent the Madonna, for she would not be shown holding her own picture.

The figure instead appears to be St. Catherine Vigri of Bologna, a painter and musician who died in 1463. Altought she was not canonized until 1729, she was apparently venerated locally at the time of her death, for her body was preserved. Since Catherine had a vision of the Virgin and Child, the picture she holds is a doubly appropriate attribute. The male saints surrounding her, from left to right, are Dominic, Patronius, Florian of Lorch, and Francis of Assisi.

This print is a typical example of Jacopo’s mature style, with its monumental forms, large, simple drapery, and loose engraving technique. The composition somewhat recalls Francesco Francia’s Virgin in Glory of 1502, buti t is more closely related to Raphael’s famous St. Cecilia, commissioned in 1513-14 for S. Giovanni in Monte in Bologna and probably installed by 1516.