Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew
Workshop of Michael Wolgemut; Workshop of Wilhelm Pleydenwurff
Description
Subject Matter:
This woodcut print is an excised illustration from the Nuremberg Chronicle showing the martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew by flaying. Around 1493, The Nuremberg Chronicle was commissioned by a wealthy entrepreneur from Nuremberg, Germany, Sebald Schreyer, as a history of the world from the story of creation through the date of publication. Humanist Scholar, Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514) compiled the text, which drew on already published histories. The Chronicle was initially published in both Latin and German versions, indicating that it was intended for a wider audience, not just clergy or nobility.
This woodcut is one of over 1,800 woodblock illustrations in the Chronicle, all produced by Michael Wolgemut and William Pleydenwurff's workshop in Nuremberg. In later centuries, early printed images became valuable as works of art on their own. Many were cut out of their original books and sold individually.
Saint Bartholomew was one of Jesus’ apostles. In the Chronicle, this illustration accompanied a description of his life history as an early Christian missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Turkey, Iran, and Armenia, where he was martyred. Here an Armenian ruler is giving the command to execute Bartholomew by flaying.
Physical Description:
A haloed man is attached to a plank in the foreground of the composition. A male figure positioned behind him holds a knife to his knee while a male figure in front of him holds a knife to his wrist. A figure dressed like a church father stands watching over the scene on the right.
Usage Rights:
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