Saint Barbara

The drawing presents St. Barbara in a sitting position, with long, windblown hair and in a richly decorated dress. Little is known about the life of this martyr, who was supposedly killed in the early 4th century in asia Minor. according to the legend, she was a princess, imprisoned in a tower by her pagan father. He wanted to force her to abandon her faith and marry, but he did not succeed. For ages, this saint has been a patron of good death, which is why we see her with a chalice, the Host and a tower. On the chair of St. Barbara, we can see the sign “aD”, which is a monogram of albrecht Dürer, a renowned German painter and drawer. However, it was made on the engraving block only to increase the value of the prints. It is a well-known practice from the era, which does not diminish the value of wood engravings. The print was made on paper from the 16th century, which was then trimmed. The author is Hans Baldung known as Grien. This painter and engraver, born around year 1484 in Schwäbisch-Gmünd, who died in 1545 in Strasbourg, was a son of a scholar. He is recognised as one of the leading artists of the times of Albrecht Dürer, who was his master in Nuremberg around year 1503-1506.