Saint Paul, from The Martyrdom of the Apostles
c. 1512
Medium
Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/block/sheet: 16.3 × 12.7 cm (6 7/16 × 5 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
45791
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Lucas Cranach’s depiction of the martyrdom of Saint Matthew gruesomely displays his decapitated head bouncing away from his body, which is still bleeding. This single-sheet impression dates from the first printing of the series in 1512. These woodblocks were later reused in a 1548 printing of The Apostles Creed, which also included tamer views of saints’ enshrined remains from Cranach’s 1509 Reliquary Book.
About the Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1472–1553
Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553) was one of the most prominent German Renaissance painters and a key artistic figure of the Protestant Reformation. Born in Kronach, Franconia, to the painter Hans Maler, Cranach began his career in Vienna around 1502, where he became one of the founders of the Danube School, a movement characterized by expressive landscape painting and emotional force. His ea...