Saint Christopher thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case EW, Shelf 143, Box G

Saint Christopher

Print
ca. 1503-1504 (made)
Artist/Maker
Dürer, Albrecht (made)
Place of origin
Nuremberg (made)

St Christopher crosses a river with the Christ Child on his shoulder. The Christ Child has his hand on St Christopher's head and holds his left hand up in blessing. St Christopher is twisted tround looking towards his left and up at Christ. He holds a forked staff and wears a large purse on a belt, a cloak and tunic. The Christ Child also wears a cloak which billows up behind him. On the nearside riverbank, towards whom Christopher is wading, is a hooded and cloaked man holding a flagon. In the background is a landscape of mountains and a flight of birds in the sky.


Object details

Category
Prints
Object type
Print
TitleSaint Christopher (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Woodcut on paper
Brief description
Albrecht Dürer, woodcut, Saint Christopher with a flight of birds; Germany, ca. 1503-1504
Physical description
St Christopher crosses a river with the Christ Child on his shoulder. The Christ Child has his hand on St Christopher's head and holds his left hand up in blessing. St Christopher is twisted tround looking towards his left and up at Christ. He holds a forked staff and wears a large purse on a belt, a cloak and tunic. The Christ Child also wears a cloak which billows up behind him. On the nearside riverbank, towards whom Christopher is wading, is a hooded and cloaked man holding a flagon. In the background is a landscape of mountains and a flight of birds in the sky.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.5in
  • Width: 7.25in
Styles
Medieval
Renaissance
Marks and inscriptions
  • AD (Inscribed on a tablet bottom centre)
  • [blind impression from block before inking, can be seen esp top left with birds and border]
Production
Bartsch state a or b (WM can't be checked in current mount); gap under stone bottom left as for a and b, and small gaps on contour of hermit as mentioned for state b, also gap top left border (not mentioned in B); before 20mm gap on top and split through stone as in state c
Subjects depicted
Flagon
Cloaks
Birds
Mountains
Landscapes (Representations)
River-Banks
River
Staff
Purse
Belt
Hermit
St. Christopher
Christ Child
Bibliographic references
  • Panofsky, Erwin. The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1955.
  • Bartrum, Giulia. Albrech Dürer and his Legacy: The Graphic Work of a Renaissance Artist. London British Museum, 2002,
  • Bartsch, Adam von, 1757-1821. The illustrated Bartsch. New York : Abaris Books, 1978-, no. 98.
  • Hollstein, F. W. H. German engravings, etchings, and woodcuts, ca. 1400-1700. Amsterdam : M. Hertzberger, 1954-
Other numbers
  • B.104 - Le Peintre-Graveur
  • M.222
  • Pan.324
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.679-1940

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1025863/saint-christopher-print-dürer-albrecht/
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