The Penance of St. Chrysostom by Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer
1471-1528 | German

The Penance of St. Chrysostom

Monogrammed in the plate lower center "AD"
Copper engraving on laid paper 

“Whatever was mortal in Albrecht Dürer lies beneath this mound.” — Albrecht Dürer’s epitaph

This exceptionally rare copper engraving of St. Chrysostom is one of the very few nude engravings ever created by Albrecht Dürer, a master of the Northern Renaissance. With extraordinary precision and a synthesis of Northern humanism and Italian Renaissance ideals, this engraving is a striking convergence of religious tradition, artistic mastery and an infamous saint's complex narrative.

The Penance of St. Chrysostom is based on a medieval legend surrounding John Chrysostom, an early Christian theologian and hermit saint. According to the tale, an emperor’s daughter sought refuge in his cave during a storm, but in a moment of weakness, he broke his vow of chastity. Wracked with guilt, he cast the woman from a cliff before retreating into the wilderness, where he crawled like a beast in penance for years. Miraculously, the woman survived and gave birth. Later, she was found with her child, and St. Chrysostom was ultimately absolved.

This is the scene Dürer captures with remarkable precision—the woman sits in an alcove, breastfeeding her child, while the saint, seen crawling in the distance, repents in exile. Set against a quintessential medieval German town, Dürer’s engraving is a masterclass in depth, perspective and anatomical perfection. His ability to render human figures in idealized proportions—influenced by Italian Renaissance principles—demonstrates his pioneering approach to the nude form.

Albrecht Dürer, born in Nuremberg in 1471, is regarded as the most influential artist of the Northern Renaissance. Early in his career, Dürer apprenticed with his father, a goldsmith, and later with Michael Wolgemut, whose workshop introduced him to woodcut illustration. Fascinated by the Italian Renaissance, Dürer made two formative visits to Italy, where he absorbed the classical techniques of masters like Pollaiuolo, Mantegna and Michelangelo. The stay marked a turning point in his career, and this engraving reveals Dürer's deepened understanding of classical form, as well as his mastery of naturalistic effects in light and shade. His ability to merge these Italian influences with the Northern tradition of intricate detail established Dürer as a leading figure in Renaissance art.

Throughout his career, Dürer created works that transcended the boundaries of woodcuts, engravings and paintings, demonstrating unmatched intellectual and artistic depth. Dürer was the most influential German artist of his time, serving as court artist to both Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and his successor Charles V. The few known examples of this particular work are held in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Clark in Williamstown, MA. 

Paper: 6 7/8" high x 4 1/2" wide (17.46 x 11.43 cm)
Frame: 17 1/2" high x 13 1/2" wide x 1 1/2" deep (44.45 x 34.29 x 3.18 cm)

Circa 1497

Literature:
Bartsch, Adam von. Le Peintre-Graveur. Vol. 7. Vienna: J.V. Degen, 1808, no. 63
Holzschnitte, und Zeichnungen. Vienna: Gilhofer & Ranschburg, 1932, no. 54 d/e (from f)