Artwork
Joshua and Caleb
Joshua and Caleb is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Altdorfer. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The print presents two central figures holding a tall staff, surrounded by a gathering of onlookers.
Altdorfer’s woodcut titled Joshua and Caleb was produced circa 1520 on laid paper. The print presents two central figures holding a tall staff, surrounded by a gathering of onlookers. The composition is divided visually: a dark, craggy structure dominates one half, while a luminous, open countryside with trees and a distant settlement occupies the other. Swirling clouds fill the sky above the scene.
Subject & Meaning
The two men at the centre are commonly identified as the biblical leaders Joshua and Caleb, depicted as witnesses to a pivotal moment. Their raised staff draws the eye upward, echoing the crowd’s varied reactions. The stark contrast between the gloomy, fortified building and the bright, pastoral landscape may allude to themes of hope versus oppression, or the promise of a new land.
Technique & Style
Executed as a woodcut, the image relies on carved relief lines to produce bold contrasts and intricate detailing. Altdorfer’s handling of the medium reflects the precision associated with the Nuremberg Little Masters, whose small-scale prints are noted for fine ornamentation. The work also demonstrates his characteristic integration of expansive, natural scenery as a narrative element, a hallmark of the Danube School.
History & Provenance
Created in Regensburg during the German Renaissance, the print belongs to Altdorfer’s early output, when he was establishing his reputation as both painter and printmaker. It was likely circulated among collectors of devotional imagery and may have been part of a series illustrating biblical episodes. The paper’s laid texture and the woodcut’s condition suggest it has survived in private collections before entering a museum holding.
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…
