The Bearing of the Cross, from "The Small Woodcut Passion"
1509–10
Medium
Hand-colored woodcut
Dimensions
sheet: 5 x 3 13/16 in. (12.7 x 9.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The George Khuner Collection, Gift of Mrs. George Khuner, 1975
Accession Number
1975.653.112(22)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer, preeminent German artist of the Northern Renaissance, created *The Bearing of the Cross as part of his *Small Woodcut Passion* series around 1509–10. This poignant scene captures a pivotal moment from Christ's Passion: Jesus, burdened by the cross, surrounded by a tumultuous crowd of men, women, soldiers with weapons, and architectural elements evoking Jerusalem's streets. Dürer's economical yet expressive composition draws viewers into the drama, blending profound religious devotion with humanist detail. Printed as a hand-colored woodcut on a modest sheet (5 x 3 13/16 in.), t...
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 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 ...