Christ on the Mount of Olives, from The Passion
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 13/16 × 6 11/16 in. (25 × 17 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1921
Accession Number
21.39.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
Lucas Cranach the Elder, leading figure of the German Renaissance and close associate of Martin Luther, created *Christ on the Mount ofives* as part of his *The Passion* series. woodcut captures a pivotal moment from the New Testament: Jesus praying in agony in the Garden of Gethsem on the Mount of Olives, by sleeping disciples and comforted by an angel. Produced during the early 16th century amid the Protestant Reformation, Cranach's like this one helped spread religious imagery to a wide audience, blending devotional fervor with emerging reformist ideals. The woodcut medium—carved into wood...
About the Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder · 1472–1553
Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472-1553) was one of the most prominent German Renaissance painters and a key artistic figure of the Protestant Reformation. Born in Kronach, Franconia, to the painter Hans Maler, Cranach began his career in Vienna around 1502, where he became one of the founders of the Danube School, a movement characterized by expressive landscape painting and emotional force. His ea...