BALDUNG GRIEN, Hans
(b. 1484/85, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, d. 1545, Strasbourg)

Portrait of Caspar Hedio

1543
Woodcut, 175 x 138 mm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

Baldung was not only interested in witchcraft and the macabre, he also produced woodcut portraits of famous Protestant preachers, such as Martin Luther and Caspar Hedio. Although Hedio and Baldung lived and worked in Strasbourg, they may have known each other beforehand. In the present print of Caspar Hedio, Hedio is depicted as a dynamic preacher. He seems to be inside a confined space, ready to burst out. He looks off to the side in a passionate stare.