Saint Wilbolt from Heiligenleben, Winterteil (Lives of the Saints—Wintertime), Plate 3 from Woodcuts from Books of the 15th Century
1475, portfolio assembled 1929
Medium
Woodcut in black with hand-colored additions, and letterpress in black (recto and verso), on cream laid paper, tipped onto cream wove paper mat
Dimensions
Image: 7 × 8 cm (2 13/16 × 3 3/16 in.); Sheet: 30 × 20.6 cm (11 13/16 × 8 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129301
Art Historical Context
Step into the vivid world of 15th-century devotion with *Saint Wilbolt from Heiligenleben, Winterteil* (Lives of the Saints—Wintertime), Plate 3. This petite woodcut, created around 1475 by an unknown artist, captures the life of Saint Wilbolt, a lesser-known holy figure, amid the popular genre of hagiography—biographical tales of saints that inspired faith across medieval Europe. Extracted from an early printed book, it reflects the dawn of the printing press, when such illustrations brought sacred stories to monasteries, churches, and ordinary readers during the cold winter months dedicated ...