Image of Gallery in South Kensington
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The Miraculous Draught of Fishes

Print
1778 (printed), 1780 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This 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. The fish depicted are recognisable as deep water fish, and therefore in keeping with the biblical description of this miracle.

The townscape, though not an accurate depiction, combines buildings which would have been recognisable to people in Rome at the time, including the Leonine wall, part of the medieval Vatican, and several recently constructed churches, the Torre de' Conti and the area known as the Borgo dello fornaci with its furnace, from which smoke can be seen issuing.

This print is in reverse of the cartoon from which it is derived. The so-called Raphael Cartoons, which this print reproduces, 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
  • The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (popular title)
  • Raphael Cartoons (generic title)
Materials and techniques
etching on paper
Brief description
Etching by L. Sommerau after a cartoon by Raphael. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes. Italian, printed in Rome, 1778.
Physical description
The setting is the Sea of Galilee and the event is the earlier of the two Miraculous Draughts of Fishes.

Christ sits on the right 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. In the background to the left is a landscape with buildings and on the far shore are groups of men, women and children. The image is surrouned by a simple border.

This scene is in reverse of the cartoon from which it is derived and is faithful in compositional detail except that the image is slightly taller.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 27.6cm
  • Sheet width: 33.6cm
  • Platemark height: 27.1cm
  • Platemark width: 33.3cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Raphael pinx: (Lower left)
  • L. Sommerau sculp. Roma 1778. (Lower right)
  • MIRACVLOSA AD ATAGNVM GENERARETH PISCIVM CAPTVRA (Title lower margin, centred)
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Literary referenceBible, Luke, 5
Summary
This 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. The fish depicted are recognisable as deep water fish, and therefore in keeping with the biblical description of this miracle.

The townscape, though not an accurate depiction, combines buildings which would have been recognisable to people in Rome at the time, including the Leonine wall, part of the medieval Vatican, and several recently constructed churches, the Torre de' Conti and the area known as the Borgo dello fornaci with its furnace, from which smoke can be seen issuing.

This print is in reverse of the cartoon from which it is derived. The so-called Raphael Cartoons, which this print reproduces, 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 objects
Bibliographic references
  • 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.
  • Vol. III, p. 565 Le Blanc, Charles. Manuel de l'Amateur d'Estampes. Paris, 1854-6.
  • Sommerau, Louis. Les celèbres tapisseries de Raphaël d'Urbin, connües sous le nom d'Arrazi, qui sont au Vatican à Rome, au nombre de vingt pièces gravées. Rome, 1780.
Collection
Accession number
E.707A-1888

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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