Saint Paul

Art Historical Context

Albrecht Dürer, a towering figure of the Northern Renaissance, created *Saint Paul* in 4, a masterful engraving on a modest sheet measuring just 4 5/8 × 2 7/8 inches. This intimate print, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints (acquired via the Fletcher in 1919), Dürer's revolutionary approach to printmaking. As one of the first artists to sign his works prominently, Dürer elevated engraving from a reproductive technique to a fine art form, using a burin to incise intricate lines into copper plates for inked impressions. Dürer's engravings are celebrated for their ext...

About the Artist

Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...