Apostle Judas Thaddeus

About this work

This woodcut shows an old man with a long white beard and curly hair. He’s wearing a loose robe and holding a book open in his left hand. His right hand points downward, and at his feet sits a small, curled-up animal—maybe a dog or a cat. The background has wavy lines that look like light or wind. The artist used sharp, detailed lines to show the folds in the robe and the wrinkles on the man’s face. This style was common in woodcuts, where the carving limits the shading. Next, look up woodcut to see how artists like Baldung Grien made prints this way.