Bearing of the Cross
Print
1512 (engraved)
1512 (engraved)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The Engraved Passion (1507-1512) was one of four major series of religious prints made by Dürer, and helped to establish his reputation as an outstanding Renaissance printmaker. The others were the woodcut series of the Life of the Virgin, the Great Passion, and the Little Passion, all published in 1511. The Engraved Passion consists of fifteen small scale engravings and tells the story of Christ's betrayal by Judas, his crucifixion and resurrection. Dürer is renowned for inventing new and imaginative ways to depict scenes from Christian stories, and in the Engraved Passion the compositions of each plate are dramatic, intricate and complex, with emotive contrasts of light and shadow. Unlike the more populist woodcut prints, they were designed to appeal to a more exclusive market of connoisseurs and collectors. Because it took several years for the series to be completed, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. The series was also sold in sets for devotional use, and was widely copied by other printmakers and in other media.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Bearing of the Cross (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Engraving on paper |
Brief description | Christ bearing the Cross; plate from 'The Engraved Passion' by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528); engraving |
Physical description | Engraving by Albrecht Dürer, ‘Bearing of the Cross’; 1512, Nuremberg. Plate 10 from ‘The Engraved Passion’. Date and artist's monogram inscribed at top right. Night scene: Christ carries the cross on his way to crucifixion at Golgotha. He is shown encountering Veronica, the kneeling woman, who offers him a cloth to wipe his brow. An image of his face was magically impressed on it, creating a holy relic known as the Veil of Veronica or the sudarium. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | '1512 / AD' (Date and artist's monogram inscribed at top right) |
Credit line | Salting Bequest |
Historical context | Plate 10 from 'The Engraved Passion' |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | The Engraved Passion (1507-1512) was one of four major series of religious prints made by Dürer, and helped to establish his reputation as an outstanding Renaissance printmaker. The others were the woodcut series of the Life of the Virgin, the Great Passion, and the Little Passion, all published in 1511. The Engraved Passion consists of fifteen small scale engravings and tells the story of Christ's betrayal by Judas, his crucifixion and resurrection. Dürer is renowned for inventing new and imaginative ways to depict scenes from Christian stories, and in the Engraved Passion the compositions of each plate are dramatic, intricate and complex, with emotive contrasts of light and shadow. Unlike the more populist woodcut prints, they were designed to appeal to a more exclusive market of connoisseurs and collectors. Because it took several years for the series to be completed, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. The series was also sold in sets for devotional use, and was widely copied by other printmakers and in other media. |
Associated objects | |
Bibliographic references |
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Other number | B.12 - Le Peintre-Graveur |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.4643-1910 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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