The Celestial Ladder of St. Bonaventura
Medium
Woodcut; state one of two (Hollstein)
Dimensions
Sheet: 16 1/4 × 11 5/8 in. (41.2 × 29.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937
Accession Number
37.43.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Celestial Ladder of St Bonaventura*, a woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder, of the foremost German Renaissance artists active in the early 16th century. for his vivid religious imagery and close ties to the Saxon court Wittenberg, Cranach woodcuts as a medium for disseminating art widely during the Reformation era. This print, from the first of two states cataloged by Hollstein, measures 16¼ × 11⅝ inches and captures a dynamic vision of spiritual ascent, featuring angels, men, women, saints gathered around a towering ladder symbolizing the path to heaven. The title draws from the m...
About the Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1472–1553
Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553) was one of the most prominent German Renaissance painters and a key artistic figure of the Protestant Reformation. Born in Kronach, Franconia, to the painter Hans Maler, Cranach began his career in Vienna around 1502, where he became one of the founders of the Danube School, a movement characterized by expressive landscape painting and emotional force. His ea...