Artwork

A Crouching Apostle (Saint Peter)

A Crouching Apostle (Saint Peter), by Adam von Bartsch, ink, 1785
A Crouching Apostle (Saint Peter), by Adam von Bartsch, ink, 1785

A Crouching Apostle (Saint Peter) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Adam von Bartsch. It dates from 1785 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

A Crouching Apostle (Saint Peter) is a print created in 1785 by Johann Adam von Bartsch, an Austrian printmaker and scholar. The work is executed in etching and aquatint on laid paper.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts a kneeling figure, likely Saint Peter, wrapped in flowing robes, with their head resting on their hand. The plain background allows the figure to stand out, conveying a sense of contemplation or sorrow.

Technique & Style

The artist employed a combination of fine lines and shading to capture the folds in the figure's clothing and the relaxed posture of the body, utilizing techniques characteristic of etchings from the late 18th century.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Adam von Bartsch

Artist

Adam von Bartsch

Johann Adam Bernhard Ritter von Bartsch (17 August 1757 – 21 August 1821) was an Austrian scholar and artist.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.