Christ Carrying the Cross, Albrecht Dürer

Artwork Overview

Albrecht Dürer, Christ Carrying the Cross
Albrecht Dürer, Christ Carrying the Cross
Albrecht Dürer
Christ Carrying the Cross
1512
Albrecht Dürer
1471–1528
Christ Carrying the Cross, 1512
Where object was made: Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany)
Material/technique: laid paper; engraving
Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 115 x 75 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 4 1/2 x 2 15/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 19 x 14 in
Credit line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Murphy
Accession number: 1996.0014
Not on display
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Label texts

Exhibition Label: "Giorgio Vasari and Court Culture in Late Renaissance Italy," Sep-2012, Sally Cornelison and Susan Earle The present exhibition gives viewers the opportunity to compare Dürer’s engraved Christ Carrying the Cross with his woodcut impressions of the same scene from the Large and Small Passions, which are on display in the previous room. Such a comparison evinces the increased intricacy that the artist was able to achieve via the medium of engraving. It also demonstrates his varying approaches to depicting a single scene. Whereas Dürer followed Schongauer and other early Northern printmakers in depicting the suffering, fallen Christ in his woodcuts, in this engraved image Jesus stands, stoically shouldering his cross. The sharp blades and spikes of the weapons held high against the backdrop of Jerusalem’s fortified walls are especially prominent in the engraving. They form a menacing counterpoint to the snarling, troll-like solider at bottom right, who grabs Christ’s cloak, forcing him to move forward.

Exhibitions

Brosseau Center for Learning: Translating the Past
2023
Giorgio Vasari and Court Culture in Late Renaissance Italy
Sally Cornelison, curator
Susan Earle, curator
2012

Citations

Cornelison, Sally J.. "Giorgio Vasari and Court Culture in Late Renaissance Italy: Themes and Further Observations.." In Register Vol. VIII, no. 3 Part 1 (2011): 92-117.

Earle, Susan et al., The Register, VIII, No. 3, Part 2 (Lawrence, Kansas: Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, 2011): 208.