Thomas Becket
1965
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 56 x 31.9 cm (22 1/16 x 12 9/16 in.) sheet: 70 x 41.9 cm (27 9/16 x 16 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Gerald Cerny
Accession Number
2000.166.2
Art Historical Context
In the National Gallery of Art's collection, Jirí Altmann's *Thomas Becket* (1965) stands as a striking woodcut print on laid paper, measuring 56 x 31.9 cm on the and 70 x 41.9 cm on the. This generous gift from Gerald Cerny the dramatic essence of the 12th-century Archbishop Canterbury, Thomas Becket, whose murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 symbolized the clash between church and state. Created amid the cultural ferment of mid-20th-century Europe, the work reflects a timeless fascination with Becket's martyrdom and his canonization as a saint, themes that resonated in an era of ideologic...