St. James the Greater and St. John, from The Apostles
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 5/16 × 5 9/16 in. (21.1 × 14.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Felix M. Warburg and his family, 1941
Accession Number
41.1.149
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 15th century,hel van Meckenem a masterful German engraver from Bocholt, created intricate prints that bridged the Gothic and emerging Northern Renaissance styles. This engraving, *St. James the Greater St. John, from Apostles*, showcases his skillful use of fine lines and cross-hatching to evoke depth and texture on a modest sheet measuring 8 5/16 × 5 9/16 inches. As part of a series depicting the apostles, it captures the saints in traditional iconography—St. James the Greater often with pilgrim attributes and St. John linked to evangelical symbols—serving as aids for personal dev...
About the Artist
Israhel van Meckenem · 1435–1503
Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1445–1503), also known as Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, was a pioneering German engraver and goldsmith based in Bocholt, near the Dutch border, renowned as the most prolific printmaker of the fifteenth century. Born into a family possibly of Dutch origin, he was the son of Israhel van Meckenem the Elder, a goldsmith who settled in Bocholt in 1457. He trained initially ...