Vitae Patrum (Lives of the Desert Fathers)
January 8, 1511
Medium
Woodcuts
Dimensions
10 3/16 × 7 1/2 × 1 1/16 in. (25.9 × 19.1 × 2.7 cm)
Classification
Books
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of early Christian asceticism with *Vitae Patrum (Lives the Desert Fathers)*, 1511 printed book from Antwerp printer Johann Seversz. This of the medieval collection—stories of 4th-century Egyptian hermits who retreated to the desert for spiritual purity—captures their wisdom and trials through vivid woodcut illustrations. Dated precisely to January 8, the book measures a compact 10 3/16 × 7 1/2 × 1 1/16 inches, perfect for personal devotion during the Renaissance, when printed texts democratized sacred knowledge. The woodcuts, a hallmark of Northern European printing, depi...
About the Artist
Saint Jerome|Seversz ( |Netherlandish) · 0347 | –0420 |
ca. 347–419/20 CE|