The Penance of St. John Chrysostom

Details

Bartsch 63; Meder 54 b (from f); Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 7 b (from f).

Description

Excellent, strong impression, black in the depths. The vertical smudged scribbles are faintly visible in the background at the top left. Cut on or just inside the plate edge. The penitent John Chrysostom can be seen in the background on the left edge of the picture in Dürer’s engraving. He is shown on the left side, crawling on all fours, naked and bearded. His left foot is obscured by a plant-covered rock in the foreground of the portrait-format composition, in which a naked young woman with long, curly hair and crossed legs sits on a stone block and breastfeeds an infant. It can be assumed that Dürer knew the legend from the work “Passional or the Holy Lives: John, as a poor schoolboy or student, kisses an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary” published by Anton Koberger in Nuremberg in 1488. – Reinforced at the edges on the back due to minor paper defects. A tiny hole in the left margin, two small losses and abrasions on the reverse in the right margin. The corners have been repaired, otherwise in good condition considering its age.