Saint Simon

Lucas Cranach the Elder

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of a skinned body hanging from a crossbar with various figures and objects around it. The monochrome ink illustration shows detailed scene with a skinned body hanging on a horizontal beam supported by two upright logs. In the foreground, there are two shields with coats of arms and different textures are depicted with fine lines. There are several horses present, one on the front right is elaborately adorned with a cloth. A group of figures surrounding the hanging body is engaged in various activities. The background shows mountainous terrain with a structure perched atop it. At the bottom of the image lies what seems to be another skinned animal. The use of cross-hatching and contrast creates a well-defined composition typical of early European woodcuts or line engravings.