St. Martin and the Beggar

Early in his career, Hans Baldung worked as a journeyman in Albrecht Dürer’s Nuremberg workshop. Not yet considered a master in his own right, Baldung was unable to include his own initials on woodcuts he produced during this time. Instead, many of Baldung’s early woodcuts either lack a signature, or as in this image of St. Martin, incorporate the monogram of his early teacher. Added to the block only in the second state, Dürer’s monogram is nestled into the distant clouds that hover in this print’s upper right corner. The inclusion of this well-known monogram, potentially authorized by Dürer himself, undoubtedly increased this print’s popularity and commercial value.