James the Less from the Martyrdom of the Twelve Apostles
Original title: James The Less from the Martyrdom of the Twelve Apostles
kurzbeschreibung
Lucas Cranach the Elder made this woodcut, which presents the martyrdom of the apostle James the Less. It belongs to a series of prints showing all twelve apostles at the moment of their violent deaths. No date appears on the sheet, which measures 16 × 12.6 cm.
Description
A dense crowd fills the foreground, as if at a public procession or parade. Some figures wear clothing that looks medieval, while others carry weapons—a sign of tension and violence. Behind them rises a wall with a window, through which more figures emerge. The layout is rich in detail and varied: people look in different directions and go about different activities. As a woodcut, the image remains monochrome, with light evenly distributed across the surface.
Context
The woodcut series 'Martyrdom of the Twelve Apostles' was probably made in the 1510s, a time of fierce religious conflict in Germany. With it, Cranach follows the late medieval tradition of apostle martyrdoms; the sheets were intended for printing in larger editions to reach a broad audience. At the time he was working as court painter to the Saxon electors in Wittenberg and maintained close ties to Reformation circles. No exact date for the individual sheet has survived—common for prints of this era.
Impact
The crowded arrangement of figures creates an oppressive, almost restless mood that brings out the martyrdom as a violent event. At the same time, the clear contours and evenly drawn lines give the sheet a calm, almost monumental presence characteristic of Cranach's woodcuts.
Technique
For this sheet, the design was cut into a woodblock and then printed on paper. Sharp contours and fine linear structures define the relief process, in which only the raised parts of the block carry ink. Cranach used the method to create figure-rich, detailed scenes—an undertaking that demanded great precision in cutting.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)