Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

Jael and Sisera

A work made of woodcut in black on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of woodcut in black on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1520/25

Artist:

Albrecht Altdorfer
German, c. 1480-1538

About this artwork

Albrecht Altdorfer depicted the biblical heroine Jael, who killed Sisera, the captain of the king of Canaan’s army, in order to deliver Israel from his troops. She welcomed Sisera to her home when he and his soldiers were fleeing from battle and offered him food and drink. When he fell asleep, she drove a tent spike through his skull so deeply that it pierced the ground below. Jael was heralded and blessed for enabling Israel’s victory.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Albrecht Altdorfer

Title

Jael and Sisera

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1518–1528

Medium

Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/block: 7.2 × 4.8 cm (2 7/8 × 1 15/16 in.); Sheet: 12.3 × 9.5 cm (4 7/8 × 3 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer

Reference Number

1926.69

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/110642/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share