The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine

c. 1497/1499

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This image depicts a group of armored individuals engaged in a violent skirmish near a body of water. Above them, a tumultuous sky fills with dark clouds that seem to burst, casting streaks of light and debris downwards. In the background, there is a mountainous landscape with a distant castle or settlement. The figures' clothing and armor are detailed, and the natural elements are depicted with expressive lines, creating a sense of conflict and tension. The style is reminiscent of Albrecht Dürer.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 38.6 × 28.1 cm (15 3/16 × 11 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1959.16.6

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 236

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Childs Gallery, Boston); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1932d), 1956; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Selected 15th Century Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 1965, no. 37.

1971

  • Albrecht Dürer: The Early Graphic Works, Princeton University Art Museum, NJ, 1971, no. 42, repro.

1997

  • Six Centuries/Six Artists, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1997.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 2: no. 128.

Watermarks

imperial orb

Wikidata ID

Q18339644

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