MARTIN SCHONGAUER (CIRCA 1445-1491)

Saint Martin (316/336-397) was the artist's patron saint and a popular figure in Christian art throughout the middle ages and was venerated as a paradigm of Christian charity. The Saint is depicted as a soldier cutting his military cloak in half to clothe a beggar dressed in rags in winter. Following this encounter, Martin had a dream in which Christ appeared to him as the beggar dressed with the divided cloak. He converted to the Christian faith and later became Bishop of Tours in 371.

The severely stained impression in the British Museum prints slightly more sharply but with less contrast than the present impression.