Christophorus Blancus’ Engravings for Jerónimo Gracián’s Summary of the Excellencies of St. Joseph

Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S.

The first editions of the Discalced Carmelite friar Jerónimo Gracián’s Summary of the Excellencies of St. Joseph were illustrated with a set of six engravings, which may have been reproduced in several subsequent editions. Executed by Christophorus Blancus, a French engraver who worked in Rome, these engravings portray scenes from the life of St. Joseph and the Holy Family which visualize the principal points of Gracián’s theology of the saint. Neglected by modern scholars who have studied this important book, Blancus’ engravings are reproduced for the first time since the 16th century, and each is explained in light of Gracián’s text by the Summary’s English translator. This monograph is a companion volume to the Just Man anthology, also by Chorpenning.

“a significant contribution toward a broader understanding of pictorial imagery in relation to the development, expansion, and special character of Saint Joseph's cult and the concomitant devotion to the Holy Family. . . . This analysis is illuminating in the immediate context and also compelling in its potential application to the interpretation of Joseph's iconography when isolated from text. ”
- Carolyn C, Wilson, Sixteenth Century Journal

“The author skillfully weaves together engravings, epigrams, and text, each complimenting and explaining the other.…The exiguous proportions of this excellent work are by no means indicative of its worth and importance.”
- Joachim Smet, O.Carm, Carmelus

1996 29 pp., 32 b/w illustrations,
ISBN:978-0-916101-23-7 (Paper) $ 8.95