Description:Displaying a visceral quality of movement and emotion, this work represents the unparalleled talent of the old master Albrecht Dürer, which is evidenced in the extremely delicate use of line and realistic representation of volume and perspective. By focusing the viewer’s attention primarily upon Christ the artist creates an intense sense of emotion and movement. The strong diagonal created by Christ outreached right arm and leg is accentuated by the multiple folds depicted in the figures cloaks. Christ’s arm appears momentarily suspended in the air creating a sense of expectancy and fear. The figures around him flee in terror, conveyed in their out stretched arms and distorted faces.
Created in c. 1508-9, this work is from the Latin text edition of 1511 with the rare, Latin text of this biblical scene on its verso. The signature monogram of Albrecht Dürer (1471 – 1528) is found in the lower left of the image. Printed on laid paper. The collector’s stamp of the phoenix is featured on the verso in the lower left, belonging to the German art historian and critic, R. L. von Retberg (1812 – 1885). Known for his own private, extensive collection of Dürer’s woodblock prints, von Retberg also authored several publications and catalogues on the artist’s works throughout the 19th century.
Walter Strauss states: “This subject is not included in any of Dürer’s other Passion series. Whereas the architectural background recalls the ‘Life of the Virgin’ cycle, the strong chiaroscuro gives this woodcut a distinctive quality. The figure on the left is not a money lender but one of the vendors of sacrificial animals who had offered a lamb in the courtyard of the Temple. It has been suggested that the artist was perhaps inspired by a line similar to one in the Heidelberg Passion Play: ‘Jesus makes a scourge out of his belt.’ Rembrandt was to borrow the figure of Christ in this woodcut for his etching of the same subject (B. 69) in 1635” (Strauss, 344).
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work):
1. Barlow, T.D., Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer, 1948, listed as plate 51 and discussed on page 23.
2. Kurth, Dr. Willi, The Complete Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer, 1963, listed as plate 229 and discussed on page 30.
3. Lugt, Frits. Les Marques de Collections de Dessins & d’Estampes. Vereenigde Drukkerijen: Amsterdam, 1921. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 2822 on pg. 525.
4. Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog, Vienna, 1932. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 131.
5. Strauss, Walter, L., Albrecht Dürer Woodcuts and Wood Blocks, listed as catalogue raisonné no. 107 on page 344-5.
6. Scheller, Robert W. and Boon, Karel G., The Graphic Art of Albrecht Dürer, Hans Dürer and The Dürer School, listed on page 117 as catalogue raisonné no. 131.
About the Framing:
Conservation framed with museum quality, archival materials, this work is float-mounted on linen in an ornate black and gold leaf frame. A secondary window has been custom made on the verso to expose Latin text for your viewing experience. The finely carved vegetal details of the Spanish-style moulding compliment linear elements in this work. The bright gold reflection of light in the frame and the deep shadows created by the sculptural relief, accentuate the contrast in this work. Completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a matching gold inner fillet, this work is set behind an archival Plexiglas® cover.
