Christ Carrying the Cross from a set of "The Passion"
Original title: Christ Carrying the Cross from a set of "The Passion"
kurzbeschreibung
This scene captures a station from Christ's suffering: Jesus carrying the cross. The sheet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is attributed to Albrecht Dürer and bears the year 1598. It was executed in wool, silk, and metal thread, with dimensions of approximately 100.3 x 75.6 cm.
Description
In the foreground, Jesus kneels or sits, identifiable by his long hair, beard, and a crown around his head. Weary, he leans against the wooden cross resting on his shoulder. Beside him stands a woman in a yellowish cloak, reaching out to help. The figures are closely grouped, with other companions of the Way of the Cross crowding around them.
Context
Dürer produced several Passion cycles that circulated in various media. The date 1598 falls after Dürer's death in 1528, which may indicate a later copy or a work from his workshop. Wool, silk, and metal thread point to a textile technique common in the 16th century for elaborate wall hangings.
Impact
A quiet but insistent mood of suffering emanates from the image. The arrangement places Christ at the center; his exhaustion and the tragedy of it are emphasized by the helping woman.
Technique
The piece was woven from a blend of wool, silk, and metal thread at a density of 20 warp threads per inch (8 per centimeter). This weave allows for fine details and renders light and shadow with subtle differentiation, characteristic of high-quality pictorial tapestries of the Renaissance, so that even the weariness of Christ's posture and the helping gesture of the woman beside him emerge clearly.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)