Lightboxes
Cart
alb3644918

ALBRECHT DÜRER. Samson Rending the Lion

ALBRECHT DÜRER. Samson Rending the Lion. Artist: Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471-1528 Nuremberg). Dimensions: Sheet: 16 x 11 7/8 in. (40.6 x 30.2 cm). Date: ca. 1497-98. Dürer elevated the medium of woodcut to an unprecedented level of technical virtuosity. In Samson Rending the Lion, he achieved striking pictorial effects that vie with those created in contemporary engravings. Remarkable gradations of tone were realized in the lion's mane--all the more amazing if one considers that each tapered black line in the print was formed in the woodblock by chipping away the wood on either side of the intended line. Such expert and self-assured handling is particularly characteristic of Dürer's early woodcuts, dating to the 1490s. A print engraved about twenty years earlier by Israel van Meckenem served as the source for Dürer's powerful depiction of the Old Testament hero who, "suddenly seized" by the spirit of God, "tore the lion to pieces as if it were a kid" (Judges 14:6). The weaponless Samson is here shown on the lion's back, one foot pressed into its neck as he forces open its mouth.
Share
pinterestPinterest
twitterTwitter
facebookFacebook
emailEmail

Add to another lightbox

Add to another lightbox
add to lightbox print share
Do you already have an account? Sign in
You do not have an account? Register
Buy this image
Loading...
Author:
Title:
Samson Rending the Lion
Caption:
Samson Rending the Lion. Artist: Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471-1528 Nuremberg). Dimensions: Sheet: 16 x 11 7/8 in. (40.6 x 30.2 cm). Date: ca. 1497-98. Dürer elevated the medium of woodcut to an unprecedented level of technical virtuosity. In Samson Rending the Lion, he achieved striking pictorial effects that vie with those created in contemporary engravings. Remarkable gradations of tone were realized in the lion's mane--all the more amazing if one considers that each tapered black line in the print was formed in the woodblock by chipping away the wood on either side of the intended line. Such expert and self-assured handling is particularly characteristic of Dürer's early woodcuts, dating to the 1490s. A print engraved about twenty years earlier by Israel van Meckenem served as the source for Dürer's powerful depiction of the Old Testament hero who, "suddenly seized" by the spirit of God, "tore the lion to pieces as if it were a kid" (Judges 14:6). The weaponless Samson is here shown on the lion's back, one foot pressed into its neck as he forces open its mouth.
Technique/material:
WOODCUT
Museum:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Credit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?
Image size:
3004 x 4057 px | 34.9 MB
Print size:
25.4 x 34.3 cm | 10.0 x 13.5 in (300 dpi)
Keywords: