Reliquary with a Pietà, from 'Wittenberg Reliquaries'
Original title: Reliquary with a Pietà, from "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
kurzbeschreibung
Lucas Cranach the Elder made this woodcut in 1509, presenting Mary as the Mother of God holding the dead Christ within an elaborate reliquary. The sheet belongs to the 'Wittenberg Relics' and measures 13.5 by 6.7 centimetres.
Description
The Pietà sits at the centre of the image, enclosed by a frame that carries angels and plant ornament. Above, further angels and symbols complete the scene. Woodcut as a technique means the motif stays in a single colour, with light spread evenly across the surface. The shaping and the richness of detail in the decoration are those of the Renaissance.
Context
The Wittenberg reliquaries were commissioned by Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony; they record the great relic collection of the castle church at Wittenberg. Cranach, working as Frederick's court painter, supplied the woodblocks for the relic book published in 1509. The series ran to more than 100 sheets and counts among the early monuments of printmaking.
Impact
Precisely guided lines and a symmetrical layout give the sheet its steadiness. Devotion and ornamental abundance join in a way that lends the work a solemn, formal character. Standing before it, the viewer is held to quiet lingering over the Passion scene.
Technique
For this woodcut the motif was cut into a block of wood and then pulled on paper. That made the image reproducible, which served the spread of relic veneration. The fineness of the execution and the care in the details attest to Cranach's craftsmanship.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)