Apostel Mattheüs 1503

This woodcut presents Apostle Matthew by Albrecht Dürer, held at the Rijksmuseum. We see Matthew with a halo, holding an axe. This is not a mere tool but the instrument of his martyrdom, deeply ingrained in Christian iconography as his identifying attribute. The axe, a symbol of both destruction and labor, has traversed cultures and epochs. From the double-headed Labrys of Minoan Crete, representing female power and religious rite, to the executioner's axe, a grim harbinger of mortality, its symbolism is multifaceted. In Dürer’s image, the axe evokes a primal, visceral response, reminding us of sacrifice. It echoes through time—the memory of violence, of transformation—a psychological link binding us to the past. It's not merely an emblem, but a vessel of cultural memory, resonating with deep-seated emotions and subconscious associations. The persistence and reinvention of such symbols across art history reveal the intricate dance between cultural memory and human experience. It is a testament to the enduring power of images.