St. Peter and St. John Healing the Cripple
Print
1513 (engraved)
1513 (engraved)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Engraved Passion (1507-1512) was one of four major series of religious prints made by Dürer, and helped to establish his reputation as an outstanding Renaissance printmaker. The others were the woodcut series of the Life of the Virgin, the Great Passion, and the Little Passion, all published in 1511. The Engraved Passion consists of fifteen small scale engravings and tells the story of Christ's betrayal by Judas, his crucifixion and resurrection. Dürer is renowned for inventing new and imaginative ways to depict scenes from Christian stories, and in the Engraved Passion the compositions of each plate are dramatic, intricate and complex, with emotive contrasts of light and shadow. Unlike the more populist woodcut prints, they were designed to appeal to a more exclusive market of connoisseurs and collectors. Because it took several years for the series to be completed, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. The series was also sold in sets for devotional use, and was widely copied by other printmakers and in other media.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | St. Peter and St. John Healing the Cripple (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving on paper |
| Brief description | St. Peter and St. John healing the lame man; plate from 'The Engraved Passion' by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528); engraving |
| Physical description | Engraving by Albrecht Dürer, St. Peter and St. John Healing the Cripple; 1513, Nuremberg. Sixteenth and final plate from ‘The Engraved passion’. Date inscribed at top left, artist's monogram inscribed at top right. St. Peter stands in the right foreground, clad in a long white robe, extending his hand in a gesture of healing towards the skeletal man seated on the ground who has leprosy. St. John stands behind Peter at the far right. |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | NB. While the terms ‘cripple' and 'afflicted' have been used in this record, they have since fallen from usage and is now considered offensive. The terms are repeated in this record in their original historical context. |
| Historical context | Plate 16 (final plate) from 'The Engraved Passion'. 'Because of its size and composition, this sheet has often been included in the listing of the Engraved Passion cyle. However, it is not part of the Passion story, and can best be explained as a transitional subject for a planned series on the Apostles. The cripple is afflicted with leprosy. St. John, in the right background, closely resembles the representation in "The Crucifixion" (.013), whereas his counterpart, on the extreme left, was presumably inspired by a well-known medal of John Paleologus. St. Peter's garment is based on a preparatory drawing for the "Heller Altarpiece" (SD.1508/1). The architectural backdrop is closely akin to that of "Christ Crowned with Thorns" (.009). Beenken suggested that this engraving perhaps derives from Masaccio's fresco "The Tribute Money" in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence.' Strauss, Walter L., ed. The Illustrated Bartsch 10 (Commentary): Sixteenth Century German Artists, Albrecht Dürer. New York: Abaris Books, 1980. p.59. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The Engraved Passion (1507-1512) was one of four major series of religious prints made by Dürer, and helped to establish his reputation as an outstanding Renaissance printmaker. The others were the woodcut series of the Life of the Virgin, the Great Passion, and the Little Passion, all published in 1511. The Engraved Passion consists of fifteen small scale engravings and tells the story of Christ's betrayal by Judas, his crucifixion and resurrection. Dürer is renowned for inventing new and imaginative ways to depict scenes from Christian stories, and in the Engraved Passion the compositions of each plate are dramatic, intricate and complex, with emotive contrasts of light and shadow. Unlike the more populist woodcut prints, they were designed to appeal to a more exclusive market of connoisseurs and collectors. Because it took several years for the series to be completed, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. The series was also sold in sets for devotional use, and was widely copied by other printmakers and in other media. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | B.18 - Le Peintre-Graveur |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.4649-1910 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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