Malchus of Chalcis as Hermit

Malchus of Chalcis as hermit is a beautiful black and white etching on copper on ivory-colored paper, realized at the end of the XVI century by the Flemish artist Joan or Johannes Sadeler (Brussels, 1550 - Venice, 1600).

Signed on plate " Sadel. exc. " on the lower right corner. With a long inscription on plate on the lower margin: " Acta prius fuerat sui vita monastica, Malchus, A Saracenis captus, ouile regit. Prefectuso gregi curat pecus; hinc precunte Numine, coenobij tecta adamata subit ".

In excellent conditions, except for a minor stain on the higher left corner and a usual yellowing of the paper due to its age. A beautiful wooden frame is included (25.4 x 1 x 29.3 cm).

This old master's original print, with a lifetime impression and showing all the mastery of this artistic technique, tells the story of the Catholic Syrian saint Malchus of Chalcis . O nly child of a farming family, he worked as a shepherd and spent his free time praying. His family hoped he would get married and have a family, but Malchus dedicated his life to religion. Pursuing his goal, he became a monk and a vegetarian, eating only dates, cheese, and milk, as the etching shows. When Malchus’ father died, he left the monastery against his abbot‘s orders to return home and help his family. On the road, a group of pilgrims and him were kidnapped by Saracen raiders and sold to slavery. He was forced to marry another slave, but converted her to Christianity, and the two lived as brother and sister. They eventually escaped, returning to Malchus’ old monastery, where they fully lived the religious life; Malchus often told this story as a lesson about disobeying the abbot. Legend says that while they were on the road to the monastery, the escaped slaves were protected by a lion.