The Man of Sorrows by the Column with the Virgin and Saint John
Print
1509 (engraved)
1509 (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 plates 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 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 woodcuts, 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 | The Man of Sorrows by the Column with the Virgin and Saint John (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Engraving on paper |
Brief description | The Man of Sorrows; plate from 'The Engraved Passion' by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528); engraving |
Physical description | Engraving by Albrecht Dürer, 'The Man of Sorrows by the Column with the Virgin and Saint John'; 1509, Nuremberg. First of the series 'The Engraved Passion'. Date and artist's monogram inscribed at upper left '1509 / AD'. Christ standing by the column bearing the marks of his crucifixion, an aura of light around his head, gazing at the viewer, as Mary and John look on from below, the hill of Golgotha visible in the distance through an arched window at left. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | '1509 / AD' (Date and artist's monogram inscribed at upper left) |
Credit line | Salting Bequest |
Historical context | First of the series The Engraved Passion. 'This is the first subject, as listed by Bartsch, of Dürer's Engraved Passion, although chronologically it was preceded by "The Lamentation over Christ" (.012) which is dated 1507 in the plate. The sheets of the series were issued intermittently, and undoubtedly Dürer sold them singly before the entire cycle was completed.' Strauss, Walter L., ed. The Illustrated Bartsch 10 (Commentary): Sixteenth Century German Artists, Albrecht Dürer. New York: Abaris Books, 1980. 328 p., ill. ISBN 089835000X. p.18. |
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 plates 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 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 woodcuts, 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.3 - Le Peintre-Graveur |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.4634-1910 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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