Silver Statuette of St. James the Less, from the Wittenberg Reliquaries

Art Historical Context

This delicate woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder a silver statuette of St. James the Less, one of Twelve Apostles often distinguished as "the Less" to differentiate him from St. James the Greater. Produced in Wittenberg, the heart of the Protestant Reformation, the print is part of a series documenting the lavish reliquaries—ornate containers for holy relics—in the collection of the Saxon electors. Measuring just 4 3/4 × 2 1/8 inches, its intimate scale made it ideal for dissemination through books or pamphlets, a hallmark of Renaissance print culture. Cranach (1472–1553), a leading German Renaissance artist and close ally of Martin Luther, masterfully used the woodcut medium to blend precise detail with bold contrasts. Woodcuts, carved into wood blocks and inked for multiple impressions, revolutionized art by making imagery affordable and widespread, fueling Reformation debates. Here, Cranach's sharp lines evoke the statuette's metallic gleam and saintly poise, reflecting both artistic virtuosity and the era's religious tensions—reliquaries symbolized Catholic excess to reformers like Luther. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1927), this print offers a window into 16th-century Wittenberg's cultural crossroads, where faith, politics, and artistry intertwined.

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...