Artwork
The Fall and Redemption of Man: The Annunciation
The Fall and Redemption of Man: The Annunciation 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 is a woodcut print that forms part of a larger series of forty images depicting the Christian narrative from the fall of humanity to the final judgment. Eight individual woodblocks were printed on each of five sheets, and the museum’s example retains two of those sheets uncut, presenting four prints together on each page.
Subject & Meaning
The image portrays a biblical episode, featuring figures such as angels and human participants set within a landscape, illustrating a moment in the theological story of redemption that the series as a whole seeks to convey.
Technique & Style
Created by Albrecht Altdorfer around 1513, the print demonstrates an unusually high level of detail for woodcut, a medium typically less precise than engraving. The achievement reflects Altdorfer’s skill in rendering fine lines and textures, rivaling contemporary miniature woodcut projects such as Hans Holbein’s Dance of Death (c. 1526).
History & Provenance
The original set comprised forty woodcuts, but before sale the printed sheets were cut into individual pieces. The Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings include two sheets that were only halved, preserving the original grouping of four prints per sheet and offering insight into the work’s early handling and distribution.
Context
Altdorfer’s print emerged after he had produced several small, intricately detailed engravings. The ambitious scale and precision of this woodcut series suggest influence from Albrecht Dürer’s Small Passion (1511), while also anticipating later fine woodcut projects in the early sixteenth century.
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…
