woodcut
The Martyrdom of St John the Evangelist
St John's Vision of Christ and the Seven Candlesticks
St John and the Twenty-four Elders in Heaven
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Object number
KM255.1b
KM255.2a
KM255.2b
KM255.3a
KM255.2a
KM255.2b
KM255.3a
Artist/Designer/Maker
Albrecht Dürer - Artist
Production date
1498
Production place
Germany
Material
paper
ink
wood
glass
ink
wood
glass
Technique
Woodcut
Dimensions
height (frame): 52.8cm
width (frame): 142.3cm
height (sight size, each image): 40.5cm
width (sight size, each image): 29.5cm
width (frame): 142.3cm
height (sight size, each image): 40.5cm
width (sight size, each image): 29.5cm
Location
Kelmscott Manor - (on display); (on display); (on display); (on display)
Content description
Left: The Martyrdom of St John the Evangelist - St John sits, naked, in a cauldron of boiling oil. Below him a figure fans the flames with a bellows whilst, above, another pours boiling oil over the saint’s body. To the left sits the Emperor Domitian, who has ordered the execution, the Emperor is dressed as a Turkish sultan and has a small dog lying at his feet. The scene is watched by a crowd of onlookers and soldiers who stand behind a low wall. A cityscape is visible in the background. In some traditions, St John emerges from the oil miraculously unscathed and is banished to the island of Patmos.
Centre left: St John's Vision of Christ and the Seven Candlesticks - St. John kneels before the seated figure of Christ against a background of clouds. In His left hand Christ holds open a bound book, seven stars circle in front of His right hand and a double-edged sword points outward from His mouth. The two figures are surrounded by seven large, ornate candlesticks, each of a different design, upon which burn slender candles.
Centre right: St John and the Twenty-four Elders in Heaven - St. John kneels before the crowned and robed figure of one of the elders. Beyond them God is seated, top centre, surrounded by the remaining elders. Some of these figures wear crowns and play harps, others offer their crowns to God. Seven burning torches float in the air before God, and around Him are four creatures resembling a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle who each have multiple eyes all over their bodies. The Lamb, a ram-like creature with seven eyes and seven horns, rests its front legs upon a book with seven seals hanging from it, which lies open in God’s lap. All are enclosed within an archway and open wooden doors. Below this scene is a wooded, mountainous landscape, with a town in the distance and a castle to the centre foreground.
Right: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Four horsemen gallop across the frame from left to right, trampling those who stand in their path. They are depicted in a strong diagonal line and a robed angel flies above them. To the bottom left a figure wearing a crown, or mitre, is devoured by a mythical beast.
The four horsemen, Conquest, War, Famine and Death, appear with the opening of the first four of the seven seals. Durer presents them in order of appearance from back to foreground. Furthest away the first horseman, the crowned figure of The Conqueror, draws back his bow. Next comes War, who holds aloft his great sword, ready to strike. The third, Famine, carries a balance scale in his outstretched right hand. Finally, in the foreground, the fourth horseman, Death, is depicted as an emaciated elderly man riding an equally emaciated horse. Naked, apart from a tattered cloth which flows out behind him, he holds a trident with both hands.
Centre left: St John's Vision of Christ and the Seven Candlesticks - St. John kneels before the seated figure of Christ against a background of clouds. In His left hand Christ holds open a bound book, seven stars circle in front of His right hand and a double-edged sword points outward from His mouth. The two figures are surrounded by seven large, ornate candlesticks, each of a different design, upon which burn slender candles.
Centre right: St John and the Twenty-four Elders in Heaven - St. John kneels before the crowned and robed figure of one of the elders. Beyond them God is seated, top centre, surrounded by the remaining elders. Some of these figures wear crowns and play harps, others offer their crowns to God. Seven burning torches float in the air before God, and around Him are four creatures resembling a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle who each have multiple eyes all over their bodies. The Lamb, a ram-like creature with seven eyes and seven horns, rests its front legs upon a book with seven seals hanging from it, which lies open in God’s lap. All are enclosed within an archway and open wooden doors. Below this scene is a wooded, mountainous landscape, with a town in the distance and a castle to the centre foreground.
Right: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Four horsemen gallop across the frame from left to right, trampling those who stand in their path. They are depicted in a strong diagonal line and a robed angel flies above them. To the bottom left a figure wearing a crown, or mitre, is devoured by a mythical beast.
The four horsemen, Conquest, War, Famine and Death, appear with the opening of the first four of the seven seals. Durer presents them in order of appearance from back to foreground. Furthest away the first horseman, the crowned figure of The Conqueror, draws back his bow. Next comes War, who holds aloft his great sword, ready to strike. The third, Famine, carries a balance scale in his outstretched right hand. Finally, in the foreground, the fourth horseman, Death, is depicted as an emaciated elderly man riding an equally emaciated horse. Naked, apart from a tattered cloth which flows out behind him, he holds a trident with both hands.
Inscriptions
Inscription content
AD
Inscriber
Albrecht Dürer
Inscriber role/association
Artist
Inscription date
1498
Inscription content
AD
Inscriber
Albrecht Dürer
Inscriber role/association
Artist
Inscription date
1498
Inscription content
AD
Inscriber
Albrecht Dürer
Inscriber role/association
Artist
Inscription date
1498
Inscription content
AD
Inscriber
Albrecht Dürer
Inscriber role/association
Artist
Inscription date
1498
4 woodblock prints from the 1498 edition of the 'Book of the Apocalypse' by Albrecht Dürer. Framed in one, sub-divided frame.