The Dispute in the Temple, from The Fall and Salvation of Mankind Through the Life and Passion of Christ
ca. 1513
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/16 × 2 1/8 in. (7.8 × 5.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.11.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Altdorfer a leading figure of the German Renaissance and the Danube School, crafted *The Dispute in the Temple* around 1513 as part of his ambitious series *The Fall and of Mankind Through the and Passion of Christ*. tiny woodcut (just 3 1/16 × 2 1/8 inches) captures a pivotal biblical moment from Luke 2:41-52, where the young Jesus engages in spirited debate with scholars in the Jerusalem Temple. Altdorfer's intricate design transforms this intimate interior scene—filled with gesticulating men amid architectural details of arches and pews—into a vivid narrative of wisdom and divine r...
About the Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer · 1475–1538
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480–1538) was a German painter, printmaker, and draftsman who stands as one of the founders of landscape painting as an independent genre. Born in Regensburg or nearby Altdorf, he learned art from his father Ulrich, a painter and miniaturist. Altdorfer spent most of his life in Regensburg, becoming a citizen in 1505 and later serving as the city's official architect and a m...