Artwork

Saint Peter and Saint John Healing a Cripple at the Gate of the Temple

Saint Peter and Saint John Healing a Cripple at the Gate of the Temple is an ink print by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1513 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:in plate, top left: 1513; in plate, upper right, in window: AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower right, in graphite by a later hand: 6 [upside down]; verso, bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: NR [?] 25146; verso, bottom center, in graphite by a later hand: B.18
Markings: Marked:none

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Set at the Temple gate, the Jerusalem setting underscores the continuity between Old Covenant worship and the new Church established by the Apostles.

Albrecht Dürer's engraving depicts the New Testament episode of Saint Peter and John the Apostle healing a lame man at the Gate of the Temple, drawn from the Acts of the Apostles. The scene captures the moment of apostolic miracle, with Peter and John as the central agents of divine healing. As part of Dürer's Passion series, the image extends the Passion narrative beyond the Crucifixion by recalling the early acts of the Apostles, linking Christ's sacrifice to the founding miracles of the Christian Church.

The religious genre and the choice of this particular episode reflect Dürer's intent to portray foundational moments of faith, presenting the healing as a demonstration of the spiritual authority passed from Christ to his disciples.

The depicted figures, Saint Peter and John the Apostle, embody the transmission of sacred power, while the lame beggar represents human frailty redeemed through faith. Set at the Temple gate, the Jerusalem setting underscores the continuity between Old Covenant worship and the new Church established by the Apostles.

Technique & Style

Albrecht Dürer produced this work as an engraving on laid paper, classifying it within the print medium and the religious genre. The sheet measures 118 by 75 (height by width), and the image belongs to the artist's Passion series, situated within the German Renaissance movement. Dürer executed the plate in Nuremberg, drawing the subject from the Acts of the Apostles, which depicts Saint Peter and John the Apostle healing a cripple at the Gate of the Temple.

The combination of fine engraved linework on laid paper is characteristic of Dürer's mature printmaking technique, allowing for the precise hatching and dense tonal modeling visible in his Passion compositions.

History & Provenance

Albrecht Dürer engraved Saint Peter and Saint John Healing a Cripple at the Gate of the Temple in 1512 in Nuremberg. The work is based on the Acts of the Apostles and belongs to Dürer's Passion series.

The print's documented provenance traces through several notable collections. It was held in the Brentano-Birckenstock Collection in Vienna and Frankfurt (Lugt 345), then passed to Arthur Friederich Theodor Bohnenberger (1826–1893) of Stuttgart (Lugt 68). Lessing J. Rosenwald (1891–1979) of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, acquired it in 1928 (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d).

Rosenwald gave the engraving to the National Gallery of Art in 1943, where it remains part of the Rosenwald Collection.

The engraving is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of the Prints in the National Gallery of Art and the Rosenwald Collection holdings. Its provenance traces through the Brentano-Birckenstock Collection in Vienna and Frankfurt, then to Arthur Friederich Theodor Bohnenberger of Stuttgart, before being purchased in 1928 by Lessing J. Rosenwald of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, who gifted it to the NGA in 1943. According to Wikidata, impressions of the print are also held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Chester Beatty Library, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

No specific exhibition history was identified in the provided sources.

Overview

This 1513 engraving on laid paper by Albrecht Dürer depicts a biblical scene. The work is a print, showcasing Dürer's skill with the engraving medium.