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Miraculous Draught of Fishes

Print
1840s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This embossed image represents the earlier of the two Miraculous Draughts of Fishes in the bible. Christ, Peter and another disciple sit in Peter's boat, which is full of fish. In a second boat are three more disciples pulling in their net. The boats are low in the lake because of the large haul of fish.

This image is in the same direction as the cartoon from which it is derived. The so-called Raphael Cartoons are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Miraculous Draught of Fishes (popular title)
  • Raphael Cartoons (generic title)
Materials and techniques
blind embossing and cameo embossing
Brief description
Embossed paper tableau from the Raphael Cartoons - Miraculous Draught of Fishes; maker Dobbs Bailey & Co., London; British, 1840s.
Physical description
Embossed paper tableau based on one of the Raphael Cartoons, consisting of a low relief image in white of the cartoon, surrounded by a border, with stylized floral decoration in white against turquoise.

The setting is the Sea of Galilee and the event is the earlier of the two Miraculous Draughts of Fishes.

Christ sits on the left of the image. He sits in Peter's boat with Peter and another disciple. The three disciples in the other boat are still pulling in their net. On the shore in the foreground are detailed depictions of plants and shells and three cranes. Some ravens fly over the lake and two swans are swimming in the lake. The background is faint but to the right is a landscape with buildings and on the far shore are groups of men, women and children.

This image is in the same direction as the cartoon from which it is derived.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 27.2cm
  • Sheet width: 37.3cm
  • Image with border height: 22cm
  • Image with border width: 25.2cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • EMBOSSED TABLEAUX (In band within coloured border at top centre)
  • DOBBS BAILEY & CO. LONDON (Within coloured border, just below lower border, centre)
  • THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES / RAPHAEL (In band in coloured border below image, centred)
  • No. 1806 (Embossed within main image lower right corner)
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Literary referenceBible, Luke, 5
Summary
This embossed image represents the earlier of the two Miraculous Draughts of Fishes in the bible. Christ, Peter and another disciple sit in Peter's boat, which is full of fish. In a second boat are three more disciples pulling in their net. The boats are low in the lake because of the large haul of fish.

This image is in the same direction as the cartoon from which it is derived. The so-called Raphael Cartoons are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques.
Associated object
ROYAL LOANS.2 (Source)
Bibliographic references
  • Hall, John. Embossed Images on Paper: A Display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, London, 28 March - 29 October 1996, Part II. London: Kingston University, 1996. p.61
  • Shearman, John. Raphael's Cartoons in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen and the tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. London, Phaidon, 1972.
  • Fermor, Sharon. The Raphael Tapestry Cartoons: Narrative, Decoration, Design. London, Scala Books in association with the Victoria and Albery Museum.
  • page 133 Rickards, Maurice and Michael Twyman [Ed.]. The Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday Life for the Collector, Curator, and Historian. London: British Library, 2000.
Other number
No. 1806 - Manufacturer's number
Collection
Accession number
E.831-1996

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Record createdApril 20, 2009
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