Silver Statuette of St. Matthew from the Wittenberg Reliquaries
Original title: Silver Statuette of St. Matthew from the Wittenberg Reliquaries
kurzbeschreibung
This woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder presents the silver statuette of Saint Matthew, a piece from the Wittenberg reliquaries. Measuring 13.4 × 6 cm, the sheet dates from the Renaissance and shows the saint in full figure with his attributes. It belongs to a series of relic depictions that Cranach produced on behalf of the Wittenberg collection of holy relics.
Description
Matthew stands centered and strictly balanced on a cloud pedestal; below, a hammer symbol points to his connection with mining. He wears a long-sleeved robe, along with a long curly beard and a radiant crown that emphasizes his sanctity. His right hand holds a scroll, his left a lance or sword. Even light and thin, carefully drawn lines define the black-and-white of the sheet, with no shading.
Context
The Wittenberg reliquaries formed a substantial collection of saints' relics kept by Frederick the Wise in the Castle Church at Wittenberg. For the relic catalog, Lucas Cranach the Elder cut woodcuts that recorded the individual vessels together with their contents. Among the most valuable pieces in the collection were the silver statuettes, which were publicly displayed during the relic showing. As a reproduction medium, the woodcut was intended to bring the relics closer to a wider audience.
Impact
The mirror-symmetrical arrangement and sharp contours give the saint a calm, dignified presence. Thin lines and the emphatically placed attributes lend the sheet a precise, almost documentary quality that supports the representational claim of the relic. Because color is absent, the viewer's attention is directed entirely to the formal language and iconographic details.
Technique
The sheet was produced using the relief printing process of woodcut: the drawing is cut into a wooden block and then printed. Cranach worked with thin lines and clear structures to capture the details of the statuette. The print is single-sided and forms part of a series of relic depictions in the same format.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)