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Saint Christopher looking over his Shoulder Albrecht Dürer
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Curator’s description:
Description
Saint Christopher stands in the river, leaning on his staff, turning to look over his shoulder at the infant Christ who sits upon his shoulders. It is one of two, very similar, engravings of the same subject made by Dürer in 1521; the other is also in the collection as WA.RS.RUD.067.b.
The print was framed with the other Dürer "Saint Christopher", and Dürer's 1504 "Nativity", as no. 67 in the Rudimentary Series; the frame was part of the collection of Dürers in the second section of the third cabinet, which contained 'Greek and Mediæval design'. In his 1878 manuscript revision of the Rudimentary Series, Ruskin described all these prints as 'of extreme interest in linear execution'; he seems not to have referred to it explicitly elsewhere in his writings.
(There is a discrepancy in Hewison's edition of the Rudimentary Series catalogues between the illustrations for this frame and his catalogue information on p. 213. This particular print is described under No. 67.c, but reproduced as no. 67.b)
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Details
- Artist/maker
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Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) (engraver)
- Object type
- Material and technique
- engraving on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 120 x 76 mm (sheet); 170 x 121 mm (mount)
- Inscription
- In the print, engraved, on a stone in the river, bottom right: 1521 | AD [the 'AD' in Dürer's characteristic monogram]
On the mount, in graphite and recent:
Recto, bottom centre: B 59
Verso, top, right of centre: Rud. 67
Bottom left, the Ruskin School's stamp
- Provenance
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Presented by John Ruskin to the Ruskin Drawing School (University of Oxford), 1875; transferred from the Ruskin Drawing School to the Ashmolean Museum, c.1949.
- No. of items
- 1
- Accession no.
- WA.RS.RUD.067.c
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Subject terms allocated by curators:
Subjects
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References in which this object is cited include:
References
Schoch, Rainer, Mende, Matthias, and Scherbaum, Anna, Albrecht Dürer: das druckgraphische Werk, 3 (Munich/London/New York: Prestel, 2001-2004), no. 93
Meder, Josef, Dürer-Katalog, ein handbuch über Albrecht Dürers stiche, radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren zustände, ausgaben und wasserzeichen (Wien: Gilhofer & Ranschburg, 1932), no. 53
Bartsch, Adam von, Le Peintre Graveur, 21 vols (Vienna: J. von Degen, 1803-1821), cat. vol. VII, pp. 68-9, no. 51
Ruskin, John, The Ruskin Art Collection at Oxford: Catalogue of the Rudimentary Series, in the Arrangement of 1873, ed. Robert Hewison (London: Lion and Unicorn Press, 1984), cat. Rudimentary no. 67.c, RUD.067.b
Hollstein, F. W. H., German Engravings Etchings and Woodcuts, ca. 1400 - 1700 (Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger, 1954-), cat. vol. VII, p. 43, no. 53
Bartsch, Adam von, The Illustrated Bartsch, founding editor Walter L. Strauss, general editor John T. Spike (New York: Abaris Books, 1978-), no. 1001.51
Ruskin, John, Instructions in Practice of Elementary Drawing, Arranged with Reference to the First Series of Examples in the Drawings Schools of the University of Oxford (n.p., [1872]), cat. Rudimentary no. 67
Ruskin, John, Instructions in the Preliminary Exercises Arranged for the Lower Drawing-School (London: Smith, Elder, 1872), cat. Rudimentary no. 67
Ruskin, John, Instructions in the Preliminary Exercise Arranged For the Lower Drawing-School (London: Spottiswoode, 1873), cat. Rudimentary no. 67
Ruskin, John, ‘Rudimentary Series 1878’, 1878, Oxford, Oxford University Archives, cat. Rudimentary no. 67
Ruskin, John, ‘The Ruskin Art Collection at Oxford: Catalogues, Notes and Instructions’, Edward T. Cook and Alexander Wedderburn, eds, The Works of John Ruskin: Library Edition, 39 (London: George Allen, 1903-1912), 21, cat. Rudimentary no. 67
Location
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- Western Art Print Room
Position in Ruskin’s Collection
Ruskin's Catalogues
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Ruskin's Rudimentary series, 3rd ed. (1872)
R|67} The Nativity, and two St. Christophers (line engraving). A. Dürer. -
Ruskin's Rudimentary series 4th ed. (1872)
R|67} The Nativity: and two St. Christophers (line engraving). A. Dürer. -
Ruskin's Rudimentary series, 5th ed. (1873)
R|67} The Nativity: and two St. Christophers (line engraving). A. Dürer. -
Ruskin's revision to the Rudimentary series (1878)
remain 67—Other examples exhibiting the qualities of the master in various developments, but all of extreme interest in linear execution.
