St. Matthias the Apostle

Artist Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, 1472-1553)

Place of OriginGermany

Date1521

Dimensions12 7/16 x 7 7/16 in.

MediumWoodcut

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineFrederick B. and Kate L. Shoemaker Fund

Object number

1959.16

Not on View

Label TextLucas Cranach became court painter to the Elector of Saxony in 1505. In addition to painting he designed woodcuts, stained glass, and weapons; was burgomeister of Wittenberg; and founded a pharmacy that his descendants ran for 300 years. This portrait of St. Matthias (Mathew) comes from a series of 14 featuring Christ and the Apostles. Careful examination will reveal the stamp of Frederick August II, King of Saxony, in the lower right, signifying that this print was once in his collection.Published Referencescf. Bartsch, A., Le Peintre-Graveur, Vol. Vii, no. 35 cf. Geisberg, Max Der Deutsch Einblatt-Holzschnitt in der Hälfte des XVI Jahrhundert, Munich, 1923-29, no. 579.Exhibition HistoryTMA: The Modern Woodcut 5/12/00 - 7/23/00 The Passion and the Apocalypse: Albrecht Dürer's Renaissance, Oct 1,04 - Jan 2,05