The Martyrdom of Saint John, from The Apocalypse

Description

The Martyrdom of Saint John is a woodcut by Albrecht Dürer from his Apocalypse cycle. John sits in a cauldron as one executioner works a bellows and another pours boiling oil over him. The scene comes from the Golden Legend’s account of the saint’s persecution, rather than from the Book of Revelation itself.

Dürer places the saint’s ordeal amid the actions of his tormentors and the presence of imperial authority. John’s exposed figure contrasts with the clothed attendants, giving the episode a stark human focus. The image introduces the author of the visions that follow and makes steadfast faith its central theme. The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates the associated example to 1511. The Martyrdom of Saint John joins dramatic narrative with the concentrated detail of Dürer’s woodcut language.