Saint Christopher Seated with the Infant Christ
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 7/8 × 3 3/4 in. (12.4 × 9.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1921
Accession Number
21.3.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate woodcut *Saint Christopher Seated with Infant Christ*, Albrecht Altdorfer captures tender moment from Christian legend. The giant saint, renowned as the protector of travelers, gently holds the Christ Child on his shoulder—a symbol of bearing the world's burdens, as recounted in medieval tales. This small print, measuring just under 5 by 4 inches, invites close contemplation, its delicate lines evoking quiet devotion. Altdor, a leading artist of the German Renaissance and founder of the Danube School, excelled in intricate woodcuts like this one from the early 16th century. Hi...
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...