The Archangel Michael Weighing a Soul

1506

Lucas Cranach the Elder

Associated Names
Lucas Cranach the Elder

Artist, German, 1472 - 1553

This is a drawing of an angelic figure weighing souls. The image features a winged figure standing over a collection of grotesque, demonic forms with a set of scales. The figure is dressed in flowing robes and holds a sword aloft in one hand. The scales are suspended in front of the figure, with a small human form seated in one balance and a demonic figure in the other. The background includes rolling hills and a castle-like structure. The drawing is intricately detailed, with crosshatching and fine lines defining the textures. The use of black and white shades creates strong contrasts that emphasize the dramatic tension. The style of the drawing is reminiscent of early Renaissance woodcuts.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1944.5.173

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hollstein, no. 88


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Baron Adalbert von Lanna [1836-1909], Prague, Bohemia (Lugt 2773)

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1962

  • The Saints in Prints & Illuminations from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, The Art Gallery of the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 1962-1963, no. 23.

1968

  • Good and Bad Angels, University of Notre Dame Art Gallery, IN, 1968, no catalogue.

1973

  • Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Prints of Northern Europe from the National Gallery of Art Rosenwald Collection, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1973, no. 55.

Bibliography

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts ca. 1400-1700. 8 vols. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger, 1954-1868. Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700. Vols. I-XV, XVIII, XIX. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberge

Wikidata ID

Q65023280

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