The Virgin and Child Standing, from "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
Original title: The Virgin and Child Standing, from "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
kurzbeschreibung
Lucas Cranach the Elder cut this woodcut, which presents Mary standing with the Christ Child. The subject belongs to the series of Wittenberg relics, a pictorial record of the relic collection of Frederick the Wise. No date appears on the sheet, though stylistic features point to the Renaissance.
Description
Mary wears a long robe with ample, heavy folds, her head covered by a cloth. She holds the child on her arm, and a rayed crown arches over his head. Both figures stand on a pedestal, which curling lines play around, suggesting water. The layout is symmetrical and centred. The print stays monochrome, evenly bright, with clearly defined contours.
Context
Behind the Wittenberg relics lies a collection kept by Elector Frederick the Wise in the castle church at Wittenberg. Cranach made the woodcuts for the relic books in which these relics were listed. This view of Mary and Child belongs to a series portraying the individual reliquaries. The exact date of the sheet is not recorded, but the series is placed between about 1509 and 1520.
Impact
A calm, dignified impression comes over the viewer at once, carried by the symmetrical arrangement and the delicate lines. The rayed crown above the child brings his divinity into view, while the curling lines lend a mystical mood. The woodcut's formal language is clear and reduced to essentials.
Technique
For this sheet the design was cut into a woodblock and afterwards printed on paper. The lines look precise and rich in detail, as is characteristic of Cranach's graphic work. The format remains small, which suggests use within a book.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)