Artwork
Christ Expelling the Money Changers
Christ Expelling the Money Changers is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Altdorfer. It dates from 1519 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Albrecht Altdorfer’s print *Christ Expelling the Money Changers* dates to roughly 1519. Executed as an engraving on laid paper, the work presents a crowded interior of a church where the central figure of Christ confronts the merchants. The composition is rendered in monochrome, using fine lines to model space and convey the tension of the biblical episode.
Subject & Meaning
The image illustrates the Gospel narrative in which Jesus drives out the traders from the temple, a moment that underscores the critique of commercialism within sacred space. Christ is shown pointing upward, his expression stern, while the surrounding figures—kneeling worshippers, startled money changers, and onlookers—react in varied postures, emphasizing the moral disruption of the scene.
Technique & Style
Altdorfer employs a dense network of cross‑hatching and stippling to create tonal variation, giving the stone floor, arches, and drapery a sense of volume.
Altdorfer employs a dense network of cross‑hatching and stippling to create tonal variation, giving the stone floor, arches, and drapery a sense of volume. The engraving’s meticulous line work reflects the precision associated with the Nuremberg Little Masters, while the inclusion of a detailed architectural setting aligns with the Danube School’s interest in integrating narrative figures within expressive landscapes.
History & Provenance
Created in the early sixteenth century, the print was likely produced for a limited audience of collectors familiar with devotional imagery. Surviving copies have appeared in several European collections, documenting the work’s circulation among connoisseurs of fine prints during the Renaissance and its later acquisition by museums specializing in early German graphic art.
Context
Altdorfer, active in Regensburg, is renowned for blending religious storytelling with naturalistic environments. This engraving exemplifies his dual engagement with large‑scale fresco‑like compositions and the intimate, highly detailed prints favored by the Nuremberg workshop tradition. The piece thus reflects both his regional artistic identity and the broader print culture that disseminated biblical themes across the Holy Roman Empire.
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…
