ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987) Saint Apollonia -Complete portfolio of four screenprints, 1984

4 screenprints in colours on Essex offset kid finish paper each signed and numbered 'Andy Warhol 248/250' (lower left) printed by Rupert Jasen Smith, New York. published by Frank Braun, Düsseldorf. 76.2 x 55.9 cm Provenance: Private Collection, Germany Literature: Freyda Feldman, Jörg Schellmann, Claudia Defendi, Andy Warhol Prints, A Catalogue Raisonné 1962-1987, New York 2015, II. 330-333, p.141 Saint Apollonia 1984 In the early 1980s, Andy Warhol drew inspiration from Renaissance masters, as seen in his Saint Apollonia series. The series of four screenprints 'Saint Apollonia' is based on a 15th-century panel painting attributed to Piero della Francesca, now held in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Saint Apollonia, the patron saint of dentistry, is depicted holding a pair of pliers gripping a tooth—a striking symbol retained in both the original painting and Warhol's screenprints. Warhol's appropriation preserves not only the figure's depiction but also the craquelure of the old master's panel. Metaphors of Catholic faith often appear in Warhol's works, influence stemming from his Byzantine Catholic upbringing. Warhol attended church throughout his life, maintaining a quiet but enduring devotion to his religion, which likely inspired works like Saint Apollonia. However, the connection between Warhol's Catholicism and his art was not deeply examined until after his death in 1987. In 1984, alongside the Saint Apollonia series, Warhol created a collection of Renaissance-inspired works, drawing on masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Paolo Uccello. While the Renaissance Paintings series often featured bold cropping and reimagined sections of famous masterpieces, exploring the concept of the icon across centuries, Saint Apollonia stays remarkably faithful to della Francesca's painting. The composition remains largely intact, with minimal cropping—unlike the more interpretative approach seen in the Renaissance Paintings series. Through his mechanically reproducible silkscreen process, Warhol transformed Saint Apollonia into an object of Pop aesthetic, reimagining it as a commodity.