Silver Statuette of St. Matthew, from the "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
Original title: Silver Statuette of St. Matthew, from the "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
kurzbeschreibung
Part of the Wittenberg Reliquary series, this woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder presents Saint Matthew. The undated sheet measures 15 by 5.6 cm and shows a single figure accompanied by his attributes.
Description
The saint stands frontally on a base decorated with a wave pattern. A long-sleeved robe envelops him, its folds worked out in fine hatching. In his right hand he holds a book, in his left a shield bearing a cross. A halo of rays frames his head. The plain ground lets the figure stand out clearly.
Context
The Wittenberg Reliquaries formed a major collection of saints' relics in the Schlosskirche at Wittenberg, assembled by Frederick the Wise. As court painter, Cranach produced numerous woodcuts documenting these relics and their containers. Such sheets served as illustrated inventories for pilgrims and the faithful. No exact date for this print has come down to us, but it belongs to Cranach's Wittenberg years.
Impact
A clear silhouette and delicate linework give the sheet a quiet, devotional presence. The rayed halo and the cross stress the figure's holiness, while the simple pedestal lends it a certain monumentality. The result is the impression of devotional dignity typical of religious printmaking in the Reformation era.
Technique
The image was printed in relief from a woodblock. The fine lines and hatching that render the texture of the robe and the ground are characteristic of Cranach's printmaking. The unusually narrow paper format of 15 by 5.6 cm suggests use as a single sheet or within a book.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)