Agony in the Garden
Print
1508 (engraved)
1508 (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 format 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 the series was issued over several years, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. It 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 | Agony in the Garden (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Engraving on paper |
Brief description | Engraving by Albrecht Dürer, 'Agony in the Garden'; 1508, Nuremberg. Second of the series 'The Engraved Passion'. Date and artist's monogram inscribed in a cartouche at lower right. |
Physical description | Engraving by Albrecht Dürer, ’Agony in the Garden’; 1508, Nuremberg. Second of the series ‘The Engraved Passion’. Date and artist's monogram inscribed in a cartouche at lower right ‘1508 / AD’. Jesus’ companions Saints Peter, James and John have all fallen asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane and in the darkness of night, Jesus prays before his betrayal by Judas Iscariot and arrest. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | '1508 / AD' (Inscribed with date and monogram in cartouche at bottom right) |
Credit line | Salting Bequest |
Historical context | Second of the series 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 format 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 the series was issued over several years, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. It 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.4 - Le Peintre-Graveur |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.4635-1910 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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