The Arrival in France of Saint Francis of Paola

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This woodcut was recovered, with five other impressions, from use as endpapers in an account book. All six bear similar marginal damage, as the bookworms or other insects burrowed all the way through the volume. No other impressions of the print are known. This mismatch between the spiritual character of the prints and the worldly, business context in which they were found appears to be the result of simple reuse of scarce paper stocks, rather than an attempt to increase profits by calling on Saint Francis de Paul.

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