Artwork
The Fall and Redemption of Man: The Virgin as Queen of Heaven
The Fall and Redemption of Man: The Virgin as Queen of Heaven is a print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Altdorfer. It dates from 1513 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work consists of eight woodcut prints taken from a larger series of forty that narrate the Christian story of redemption, from the fall of Adam and Eve through to the Last Judgment. Each print was originally part of a large sheet that held five such sheets, later divided, leaving four images per sheet in the museum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The selected images depict the initial transgression of humanity and its subsequent salvation, with one notable print showing the Virgin Mary crowned as Queen of Heaven, hovering above a bustling crowd while holding a scepter, symbolising her intercessory role in the redemption narrative.
Technique & Style
Created by Albrecht Altdorfer around 1513, the woodcuts display an unusually fine level of detail for the medium, rivaling the precision of contemporary engravings. Their size—almost twice that of Albrecht Dürer’s Small Passion (1511)—and the intricate rendering of figures mark them as a technical achievement in early 16th‑century printmaking.
History & Provenance
Altdorfer, already known for small, detailed engravings by 1513, produced this series likely to maximize both efficiency and quality. After printing, the large sheets were cut into individual prints; the museum’s set retains the original half‑sheet format, preserving four images per page rather than the later eight‑piece division.
Context
The series belongs to a tradition of narrative woodcut cycles that illustrated biblical history for a broad audience. Its scale and detail can be compared to Hans Holbein’s Dance of Death (c. 1526), another rare example of miniature woodcuts from the same period, underscoring a brief but significant moment in print culture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…
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