# Saint Christopher

**Lucas Cranach the Elder** (German, 1472–1553)  
1506  
chiaroscuro woodcut printed in brown-orange and black

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1943.3.2858. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.6034.html).

## About this work

The giant Christopher wades through a river with the Christ Child, leaning on his staff, while a village and mountains rise in the background. Cranach dated this woodcut 1506, which would make it one of the earliest chiaroscuro woodcuts, a technique in which a second block printed in a coloured tone adds a middle value, with highlights left in the colour of the paper. The method imitated drawings on tinted paper and was eagerly pursued in Germany at the time; scholars have debated whether the tone block was in fact added a few years after the date suggests.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Lucas Cranach the Elder made this in 1506, aged 34. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

This is a drawing of a wilderness setting by a river. The scene features rocky cliffs, lush vegetation, a large bearded figure holding a staff, and a small cherubic figure beside them. In the background, there is a village against a mountainous backdrop. The drawing has rich texture and intricate details, with a contrast of dark lines and lighter hues.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### How it was made

- **Woodcut.** A relief print. The block is cut away around the lines, so the lines stand up to take the ink, and the sheet is pressed onto them.

### [Lucas Cranach the Elder](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/lucas-cranach-the-elder)

German, 1472–1553; born in Kronach; died in Weimar

Cranach worked in Vienna before becoming court painter to the Electors of Saxony at Wittenberg in 1505, a post he held for decades. A close friend of Martin Luther, he painted the reformer and his circle many times and designed woodcuts for Protestant publications, while running a large, productive studio that turned out portraits, altarpieces and slender mythological nudes, including many versions of The Judgment of Paris. He followed the deposed Elector John Frederick into exile and died at Weimar.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Print
- The artist was 34
- Century: 16th century
- Subjects: Costume, Rock, Nature, Man, Cherub
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1344.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1344/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/saint-christopher-nga-6034).