The Veneration of St. Atto’s Miraculously Preserved Body c. 1607

This drawing of the Veneration of St. Atto’s Miraculously Preserved Body was created by Benedetto Veli with pen and brown ink, and brown wash on paper. The sepia ink gives a sense of old age, while the paper support provides the image with a soft surface, emphasizing the delicacy and precision of Veli's linework. The artist has built the composition with a web of straight lines, like an architect preparing a building. The drawing shows the veneration of St. Atto, the bishop of Pistoia, who died in 1153, and whose body was found to be miraculously preserved in 1604. We can imagine that Veli created this drawing to commemorate this event. Drawings like this one, although they are two-dimensional, represent a method of production, similar to architecture, which requires many hands and many hours of labor. The final drawing thus symbolizes the work of faith and community, capturing a particular social context.