Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo

Art Historical Context

This intriguing metalcut print, created around 1450–1460 and attributed to the enigmatic Master d, captures two apostles—Saint Matthias and Saint Jude—paired with excerpts from the Apostles’ Creed. Measuring just over six inches tall, the small sheet was likely intended for personal devotion or inclusion in a prayer book. Its technique, an early form of relief printing from a metal plate, allowed for remarkably fine lines that were then enlivened by hand with olive green, dull red lake, and yellow washes. In the mid-fifteenth century, such affordable devotional images played a vital role in s...