Who painted Saint Deicolus and the Boar?

Saint Deicolus and the Boar was painted by Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner in 1748.

Where can I see Saint Deicolus and the Boar?

Saint Deicolus and the Boar is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Saint Deicolus and the Boar?

Saint Deicolus and the Boar is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Saint Deicolus and the Boar

Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner , 1748

Saint Deicolus and the Boar is a drawing by the Baroque artist Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner. It dates from 1748 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 1967.22
Credit line: Dudley P. Allen Fund

About this work

Overview

Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner, a German artist active in the early 18th century, created a highly finished drawing on blue paper that depicts the legend of Saint Deicolus rescuing a boar. The work is rendered as a single sheet intended as a design for a printed series that paired saints with hunting scenes.

Subject & Meaning

The composition illustrates the Irish missionary Saint Deicolus, founder of a Burgundian abbey, intervening to save a boar from the hunting party of the Frankish ruler Clotaire II. Kneeling in a forest, the saint is shown beside the fallen animal while celestial figures hover above, emphasizing the saint’s protective role.

Technique & Style

Baumgartner employs a decorative cartouche format, integrating artificial scroll‑like elements that appear to sprout from rocks and foliage. The framing mimics intricate metalwork intertwined with vegetation, a hallmark of the Rococo taste for light, ornamental surfaces. The drawing’s fine line work and careful shading give it a polished, print‑ready quality.

History & Provenance

The piece was produced as part of a suite of designs meant for engraving, combining hagiographic subjects with hunting motifs. Though the original print run is undocumented, the drawing survives as a unique preparatory work, likely retained by the artist’s workshop before entering a private collection.

Context

In early‑18th‑century Germany, artists frequently blended narrative illustration with elaborate ornamental frames, reflecting a broader Rococo fascination with decorative excess and the integration of text, image, and border. Baumgartner’s approach exemplifies this trend, turning a straightforward saintly tale into a visually playful tableau.