The Virgin Appearing to Saint John, Frontispiece to the Apocalypse 1511

Albrecht Durer made this woodcut of the Virgin appearing to Saint John as a frontispiece to the Apocalypse sometime around 1496-97 in Germany. This image introduces the viewer to a series of woodcuts illustrating the Book of Revelation, a text rife with social and political commentary. Here, Saint John sits in a natural setting, writing the text we are about to see. The Virgin Mary appears to him in a halo of light, holding the Christ Child. Consider the context of the time; the Church held enormous power, and religious imagery was a powerful tool for reinforcing its authority. But Durer, working in the age of the printing press, democratized this imagery. Woodcuts like this were relatively inexpensive, and made religious imagery accessible to a wider audience. To truly understand this work, it’s essential to delve into its historical and religious context, looking at theological interpretations of the Apocalypse, and the social conditions of 16th century Germany. We can learn to understand the complex relationship between art, religion, and society.