A Silver-Gilt Pacifical with a Crucifixion
Original title: A Silver-Gilt Pacifical with a Crucifixion, from the "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
kurzbeschreibung
A monstrance with the Crucifixion, cut in wood by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1509, belongs among the Wittenberg relics. The small sheet measures 13.3 × 6.7 cm and comes from the series of reliquaries.
Description
A tall cross bearing the Crucifixion group rises at the heart of the sheet; to either side and below it, figures stack in tiers, representing biblical characters or emblems. Ornamental bands frame the cross, and in the lower area a stylized blossom or leaf sits on a further decorated border. The ground stays blank, drawing the eye to the motif's center. Crisp, sharply drawn lines define the design, with no shading or gradations of color.
Context
Friedrich the Wise, Elector of Saxony, assembled the relic collection known as the Wittenberg relics. Cranach supplied the woodcuts for the accompanying reliquary book, which recorded the relics and their containers. The 1509 sheet takes its place in a sequence of more than 100 depictions published in an illustrated inventory. The prints were meant to spread knowledge of the relics and encourage their veneration within late medieval piety.
Impact
Symmetrically ordered and calm in its flow of lines, the print invites a devotional mood. The ornamental frame emphasizes the precious character of the reliquary, while the strict monochrome lets the pictorial statement come forward.
Technique
For the woodcut, the motif was cut into a woodblock and then printed on paper. The sharp, precise lines suit a technique that allows no fine shading. At 13.3 × 6.7 cm the paper format is small, suggesting handy use for private devotion.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)