Engraved copies of The Little Passion

About this artwork

These engraved copies after Albrecht Dürer's "Little Passion" demonstrate the German master's enduring influence and the early modern print market's practices of copying and reproducing successful designs. Dürer's original "Little Passion" woodcut series, created 1509-1511, comprised thirty-seven small woodblocks depicting Christ's life, death, and resurrection—a format accessible to middle-class devotional practice and artistic study. The series' commercial success led to numerous copies, reiss...

Art Historical Context

These engraved copies of Albrecht Der's *Little Passion* series, produced by publisher Abraham Waesberge, a fascinating glimpse into the early modern print market. Created as engravings after Dürer's original 1509–1511 woodcut series of small plates (about 5 x 3⅞ inches), they depict key moments in Christ's life, suffering, death, and resurrectionscenes filled with men, women, Jesus amid profound emotion. Dürer, a German master (1471–1528), transformed woodcuts and engravings into sophisticated art forms, rivaling paintings in detail and depth, and his works spread across Europe, shaping bibl...

About the Artist

Albrecht Dürer|Abraham Waesberge · 1471–1528

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...