A fine chiaroscuro woodcut by Nicolas Le Sueur, reproducing a Baroque drawing by Pietro Testa depicting the martyrdom of Saint Angelo.

This print is a chiaroscuro woodcut by the French engraver Nicolas Le Sueur, produced as part of the ambitious project to document the drawings in the collection of Pierre Crozat. The work reproduces an original drawing by the Italian Baroque artist Pietro Testa. The composition depicts the violent death of Saint Angelo, a Carmelite friar, who is shown being struck down while holding a cross.

Le Sueur employs the chiaroscuro technique to translate the tonal qualities of the original drawing into print. By using multiple woodblocks, he creates a range of sepia and brown tones that define the figures and the architectural space. The scene is crowded with figures, including a grieving mother and child in the foreground, which adds a human dimension to the religious narrative. The upper portion of the print features celestial figures, providing a contrast between the earthly violence below and the spiritual realm above.

As a reproduction of a master drawing, this print demonstrates the technical skill required to maintain the fluidity of the original artist's hand. The lines are expressive and dynamic, capturing the dramatic tension characteristic of the Baroque period. The work is a fine example of eighteenth-century printmaking, where the focus was on the dissemination of artistic knowledge through the reproduction of private collections. The inclusion of the original inscription at the base of the print provides historical context, identifying both the subject and the provenance of the drawing from the Cabinet de M. Crozat.