Saint Simon

Art Historical Context

Albrecht Dürer, preeminent artist of the Northern Renaissance, created *Saint Simon* in 3, late in his illustrious career. This intimate engraving depicts the apostle Saint Simon, one of Jesus's twelve disciples, often revered in Christian devotion for his zeal and martyrdom. Measuring just 4 9/16 × 2 15/16 inches (11.6 × 7.5 cm), its compact scale made it ideal for personal prayer books or altarpieces, reflecting the era's demand for affordable, portable religious art amid the early Reformation stirrings in Germany. Dürer's mastery of engraving shines here: using a burin to incise fine lines into a copper plate, he achieved extraordinary detail and tonal depth, rivaling painting in its precision. His style blends meticulous observation—honed during travels to Italy—with Northern Gothic expressiveness, capturing the saint's solemn gaze and textured robes with lifelike intensity. Prints like this revolutionized art dissemination, allowing Dürer's genius to reach collectors across Europe. Today, *Saint Simon* graces the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, part of The George Khuner Collection (gift of Mrs. George Khuner, 1968). It embodies the spiritual fervor of 16th-century Europe, inviting visitors to ponder faith through one man's masterful lines.

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 ...