St. Augustine and the Child on the Seashore

c. 1465–1469

Master of the Nuremberg Passion

(German, active mid-1400s)

Culture

Germany

Medium

engraving

Measurements

Image: 19.1 x 12.3 cm (7 1/2 x 4 13/16 in.); Sheet: 19.1 x 12.3 cm (7 1/2 x 4 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1984.55

Catalogue raisonné

Not in Lehrs (unique impression)

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Location

101B Prints & Drawings

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Description

In the foreground of this print, Saint Augustine sees a child spooning seawater into a hole in the sand, a metaphor for the saint’s struggle to understand divinity. The print may have been inspired by the strong presence of friars in Germany who followed Augustine’s teachings. Though the training of the engraver known as Master of the Nuremberg Passion remains unidentified, this engraving—the only known impression of this image—displays a goldsmith’s attention to ornamental detail. Bold contour lines are shaded with closely spaced cross-hatching, while curved lines depict water. Along the grass, the engraver left some ink on the plate’s surface (known as plate tone) to add shadow.