Saint Jerome in a Cave

c. 1513/1515

Albrecht Altdorfer

Associated Names
Albrecht Altdorfer

Artist, German, 1480 or before - 1538

This is a drawing of a scene within a cave-like setting. The scene features an area with an altar adorned with a cross on top of a twisted object in the center. Surrounding the altar are detailed elements, including hanging stalactites or roots, and textured surfaces suggesting a rocky or organic interior. To the left, there is a large animal near an individual in detailed attire performing a gesture associated with prayer or reflection. In the background, the cave structure leads to vaulted openings revealing architecture or buildings. The drawing is textured with linework, creating depth through shadow and light. The atmosphere conveys a sense of quiet contemplation in a detailed and enclosed space.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    block: 16.9 × 12.1 cm (6 5/8 × 4 3/4 in.)
    sheet: 17.3 × 12.7 cm (6 13/16 × 5 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.375

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. w. 60


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA , 1928; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

  • Five Centuries of Print Making, The Print Club of Philadelphia, 1931, no. 20.

1949

  • Goethe as a Print Lover: to Celebrate the Bicentennial of his Birth, Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA, 1949, no catalogue.

1969

  • Prints and drawings of the Danube School; an exhibition of South German and Austrian graphic art of 1500 to 1560, Yale University Art Gallery, City Art Museum of St. Louis, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1969-1970, no.43, repro.

Bibliography

1963

  • Winzinger, Franz. Albrecht Altdorfer, Graphik: Holzschnitte, Kupferstiche, Radierungen. Munich: R.Piper and Co., 1963, no. 82.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Albrecht Aldorfer, Ursula Mielke, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. w. 60.

Wikidata ID

Q64952508

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