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Overview
Jacopo Palma, known as Palma Giovane, was born into a Venetian family of artists. His father Antonio ran a successful workshop, and his great uncle was his namesake, the renowned painter Palma Vecchio. In spite of this, Palma Giovane was virtually self-taught. In 1567 he caught the eye of the Duke of Urbino, whose patronage allowed him to study in Rome. There, Palma embraced the practice of making preparatory drawings (disegno), a custom that was traditionally associated with central Italy. He returned to Venice in the mid-1570s, where his blend of naturalism and moderate Mannerist exaggeration became popular. Palma’s work increasingly reflected his appreciation of the Venetian masters, particularly Jacopo Tintoretto. Following Tintoretto’s death in 1594, Palma became the city’s leading painter.
This etching comes from the series De excellentia et nobilitate delineationis libri duo (Principles of Drawing). This is a pattern/model book which provided images that students could copy. It was probably never intended that it be published as a bound compilation, as the prints it contains are of very different subjects and sizes. In our etching, St Thomas kneels before Christ and puts his finger in the wound in his side. Christ rests his right hand on St Thomas's shoulder.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palma_il_Giovane
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art February 2017