Saint Baldedrudis

Beck, a prolific designer of woodcuts, provided illustrations for many books published in his native town of Augsburg. This likeness of St. Baldedrudis was included in a book commissioned by the vainglorious Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519), who believed that one should prepare a memorial for oneself during life. To this end, Maximilian employed Beck to design 123 woodblock images-this example included-which were executed by Augsburg woodcarvers to serve as illustrations for an account of the emperor's supposed saintly lineage. Here, the Benedictine abbess who founded a refuge for the poor and disabled is clad in a simple garment defined by short, slightly curling strokes. Wall surfaces are described by closely ruled parallel lines, sometimes flecked with vertical ticks and crosshatched in areas of darkness.