Presentation in the Temple, from The Fall and Salvation of Mankind Through the Life and Passion of Christ
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/8 × 2 3/16 in. (7.9 × 5.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.11.18
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Altdor, a pioneering figure of the Northern Renaissance and leader of the Danube School, this intricate woodcut as part of his series *The Fall and Salvation of M Through the Life and Passion Christ*. Dating to the early 16th, the print depicts the biblical Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22–38), where the infant Jesus is brought by Mary and Joseph to the Jerusalem Temple for ritual purification Surrounding figures, including prophet Simeon and prophetess Anna, recognize the child as the Messiah amid the architectural grandeur of the temple. Measuring just 3 1/8 × 2 3/16 inches, t...
About the Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer · 1475–1538
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480–1538) was a German painter, printmaker, and draftsman who stands as one of the founders of landscape painting as an independent genre. Born in Regensburg or nearby Altdorf, he learned art from his father Ulrich, a painter and miniaturist. Altdorfer spent most of his life in Regensburg, becoming a citizen in 1505 and later serving as the city's official architect and a m...