Saint Christopher

c. 1515/1520

Albrecht Altdorfer

Associated Names
Albrecht Altdorfer

Artist, German, 1480 or before - 1538

This is a drawing of a figure carrying a child across a river. The scene shows a muscular figure holding onto a tree branch for support as they wade through the water. The child, perched on the shoulders of the larger figure, reaches skyward with one hand. The background includes rolling hills and a village dominated by a prominent church spire. The rays of the sun or a glowing light source illuminate the figures. The detailed crosshatching and linework give texture to the figures and surrounding scenery.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 6.3 × 5.9 cm (2 1/2 × 2 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.401

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. e. 20, State only

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Charles Sessler, Philadelphia); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA, 1930; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1963

  • Winzinger, Franz. Albrecht Altdorfer, Graphik: Holzschnitte, Kupferstiche, Radierungen. Munich: R.Piper and Co., 1963, no. 124, d.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Albrecht Aldorfer, Ursula Mielke, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. e. 20, state only.

Markings

recto, lower right corner: [fragment of an unidentified collector's stamp]

Wikidata ID

Q64952537

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