Saint Lawrence 1619

Bartolomeo Cesi made this drawing of Saint Lawrence using pen and brown ink with brown wash on paper. At first glance, it looks like a fairly standard religious study. But look closer at the overlaid grid. It’s a clue about the amount of planning and labor that went into it. The grid system allowed Cesi to accurately transfer the composition to a larger canvas, where he or his workshop assistants would execute the final painting. This division of labor was common practice. The drawing’s materiality speaks to the economic realities of art production in the 16th and 17th centuries. The brown ink and wash, quickly applied, suggests efficiency. The relatively small paper size also implies a practical, rather than purely aesthetic, purpose. Even the choice of Saint Lawrence as the subject, known for his martyrdom by grilling, lends itself to dramatic, visually compelling compositions. By understanding the processes and materials involved, we recognize that even seemingly traditional artworks are products of complex economic and social forces.