The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Print in black ink of enthroned God, a bearded man with light skin tone, facing to our right, bracing an orb in his lap, and raising his right hand, two fingers extended. Two columns flank him, a frilly border circling within and a swirling banner with an inscription above God's head (see "Description"). Above the banner, nude babies climb among branches. At the bottom, two hairy figures hold blank shields flanking a blank banner.

The Emblem

1493

Michael Wolgemut

(German, 1434–1519)
Germany
woodcut
Platemark: 37.6 x 23.9 cm (14 13/16 x 9 7/16 in.); Sheet: 45.8 x 32.2 cm (18 1/16 x 12 11/16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection 1966.410
Catalogue raisonné: Schreiber V.248.5203
Location: Not on view

Description

In Christian belief, God speaks the world into existence, creating it and ruling over it. This woodcut is one of over 1,000 images in the Nuremberg Chronicle, an early printed book narrating the history of the Christian world. Amid creeping vines and pillars of cloud, God sits enthroned, lips parted and hand upraised in a gesture of speaking. He holds an orb as a sign of his authority over the universe. The scroll above him reads: “For he [God] spoke and they were made: he commanded and they were created. Psalm 22.” Here, God is eternally powerful.
  • ?–1966
    Leona E. Prasse [1896-1984], Rocky River, OH, given to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    November 5, 1966–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Appleby, Zoe, and Tess Artis. "Creation." In Creation and (Re)birth, edited by Gerhard Lutz, and Elina Gertsman, 5-7. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 7, fig. 6
  • Creation, Birth, and Rebirth. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17, 2024-July 16, 2025).
    Design and Decoration: Ornament Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 7-October 28, 1990).
    Sacred and Profane in Late Gothic Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 2-August 2, 1987).
    Albrecht Dürer - 500th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 19-March 28, 1971).
    Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 11-October 21, 1968).
    Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
  • {{cite web|title=The Emblem|url=false|author=Michael Wolgemut|year=1493|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.410