Apocalypse of John, Leaf 42
c. 1465
Medium
woodcut
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.714
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of Art, where we encounter *Apocalypse of John, 42*, a striking woodcut from c. 1465 by an anonymous German artist of the 15th century. This leaf forms part of an illustrated series depicting the dramatic visions from the Book of Revelation in the Bible, a text rich with apocalyptic imagery that captivated medieval audiences. Produced during the late Gothic period, just after Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the movable-type press around 1450 such woodcuts represented a revolutionary shift: they allowed for the affordable mass production of religious art, bring...
About the Artist
German 15th Century
**German 15th Century** The designation "German 15th Century" encompasses a collective of anonymous artists active in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods in Germany, primarily known through their contributions to early printmaking and panel painting. These creators emerged during a transformative era when woodcuts and engravings began democratizing religious imagery, bridging the Goth...