Saint Anthony
1401 to 1500
Medium
engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.132
Art Historical Context
Israhel van Meckenem's *Saint Anthony*, an engraving from the late 15th century (circa 1401–1500), captures the revered Desert Father in a moment of quiet devotion. As a leading German printmaker of the Northern Renaissance, van Meckenem was renowned for his intricate engravings that bridged late Gothic traditions with emerging Renaissance naturalism. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection (Department CG-E), this print exemplifies his mastery of fine lines and detailed textures, achieved through the burin on copper plates. Engraving as a medium revolutionized art dissemi...
About the Artist
Israhel van Meckenem · 1435–1503
Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1445–1503), also known as Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, was a pioneering German engraver and goldsmith based in Bocholt, near the Dutch border, renowned as the most prolific printmaker of the fifteenth century. Born into a family possibly of Dutch origin, he was the son of Israhel van Meckenem the Elder, a goldsmith who settled in Bocholt in 1457. He trained initially ...