Saint Anthony
Artist
Albrecht Dürer
(German, 1471 - 1528)
Date1519
MediumEngraving on paper
DimensionsOverall: 4 x 5 5/8in. (10.2 x 14.3cm)
Image: 3 7/8 x 5 9/16in. (9.8 x 14.1cm)
Image: 3 7/8 x 5 9/16in. (9.8 x 14.1cm)
ClassificationsPRINTS
Credit LineGift of Edward W. Root
Object number53.105
Description On View
Not on viewCollections
CopyrightNo known copyright restrictions.
Label TextAlbrecht Dürer was the central figure in Northern European printmaking in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His engraving of Saint Anthony (c. 250-350) depicts the first Christian monk. Anthony lived in Egypt in poverty and is revered for his piety and scholarship. Traditionally, he is shown in the desert besieged by fantastic creatures. Dürer departed from this pictorial tradition and, instead, depicted him seated on the ground in front of a Medieval Northern European cityscape. The buildings rise on a hill behind the saint forming a triangular shape that echos the contours of Anthony's pose. This engraving is one of the very few that Dürer ever made in a horizontal format.
PDS
February 2005
