The Vision of the Seven Candlesticks, from "The Apocalypse", German Edition

The Vision of the Seven Candlesticks, from "The Apocalypse", German Edition is a monumental woodcut created by Albrecht Dürer in 1498. This image is one of the fifteen large-format plates comprising The Apocalypse (or The Revelation of Saint John), a landmark series that revolutionized the production and consumption of prints in the late 15th century. Dürer self-published the project in both Latin and German editions, utilizing the robust, accessible woodcut medium to convey complex religious narratives directly to a broad audience, cementing his status as the preeminent artist of the Northern Renaissance.

The composition illustrates the first major vision received by Saint John, as detailed in the opening chapters of the Book of Revelation. The central figure of Jesus Christ is rendered with powerful divinity and stands surrounded by the symbolic arrangement of the seven golden Candlesticks, which represent the seven churches of Asia Minor. Dürer skillfully employs the technical possibilities of the woodcut, using cross-hatching and varied line weight to control light and shadow, thereby emphasizing the dramatic, spiritual intensity of the apocalyptic vision.

This piece, along with the rest of the series, showcases Dürer’s transition from late Gothic styles toward a more classical, Renaissance conception of form and space. The resulting depictions of the Apocalypse defined the visual iconography for this challenging subject matter for centuries to come. This exemplary impression of The Vision of the Seven Candlesticks highlights Dürer’s masterful handling of the print medium and is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a critical example of early European prints.