Andrew from the Martyrdom of the Twelve Apostles
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 7/16 × 4 15/16 in. (16.3 × 12.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.64.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Andrew from the Martyrdom of the Apostles*, a striking woodcut by Lucas Cran the Elder, one of the foremost German Renaissance artists of the early 16th century. intimate print, measuring just over 6 by 5 inches, captures the Apostle Andrew in his moment of martyrdom, likely crucified on the iconic X-shaped cross associated with his saintly legend. As part of a series depicting the gruesome fates of the Twelve Apostles, exemplifies Cranach's mastery of woodcut—a technique where intricate designs were carved into wooden blocks, inked, and pressed onto paper for affordable reproduction. ...
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...