1519
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Solomon Praying to the Idols is a 1519 ink by Albrecht Altdorfer, a Renaissance work, depicting Visitation, held at National Gallery of Art.
King Solomon kneels before a ring of idols on a dark slab of stone. The engraving uses fine lines to show shadows and folds in his robe. Tiny details crowd the background—grapes, a bird, a snake—hiding meanings we can’t be sure of. Altdorfer carved this in 1519, when Northern artists loved tiny, tangled scenes. The work feels crowded but precise, like a riddle pressed into paper. See it in person at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
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…
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