# Saint John before God and the Elders

**Albrecht Dürer** (German, 1471–1528)  
probably c. 1496/1498  
woodcut on laid paper  
sheet (trimmed to block): 39.3 × 28.1 cm (15 1/2 × 11 1/16 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1971.39.3. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.52557.html).

## About this work

In this woodcut from Dürer’s Apocalypse, Saint John, summoned through a door in heaven, comes before God enthroned among clouds, who holds the book sealed with seven seals. The crowned elders of the Book of Revelation sit in a semicircle around them, some holding the golden bowls of incense mentioned in the text, while winged hosts gather above. Far below lies an ordinary landscape of trees, river and hilltop castles, the earthly world the vision looks down on. Dürer published the fifteen Apocalypse woodcuts himself in 1498, and their density of line and drama made his name across Europe while he was still in his twenties.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Albrecht Dürer made this (probably c. 1496/1498), aged about 25. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

The image features a celestial scene with multiple figures depicted from head to waist. Two central figures are engaged in a conversation amidst clouds. One figure appears seated, possibly on a throne, holding a book. Both figures have long hair and beards. The robes worn by the figures are detailed. Other figures surround them in a semi-circle, some wearing crowns, holding items like bowls. Heavenly hosts with wings are seen above. The background shows a detailed landscape with trees, a river, and castles nestled in hills.

_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.
- **Laid paper.** Handmade on a mould of close-set wires, which leave fine parallel lines you can see when the sheet is held to the light.

### [Albrecht Dürer](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/albrecht-durer)

German, 1471–1528; born in Nuremberg; died in Nuremberg

Dürer trained as a goldsmith with his father and then under the Nuremberg painter Michael Wolgemut, whose studio produced woodcut book illustrations. Two journeys to Italy brought him into contact with Venetian painting and the theory of proportion, which he set out to bring north. He raised woodcut and engraving to new heights of detail and ambition, issuing his own series such as The Apocalypse and The Life of the Virgin, and his engraving Adam and Eve of 1504 shows his study of the ideal human figure.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Print
- The artist was about 25
- Real size: about 15 × 11 in (39 × 28 cm). The 12 × 16 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 15th century
- Subjects: Angel, Tree, Water, Building, Figures
- Colour: grey
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1557.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1557/1920.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-john-before-god-and-the-elders-nga-52557).