Christ Taking Leave of His Mother, from "The Passion of Christ"
Original title: Christ Taking Leave of His Mother, from "The Passion of Christ", after Dürer
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1500–34, Marcantonio Raimondi made this engraving, Christ Taking Leave of His Mother, as part of his Passion series. The print records a moment from the Passion of Christ and derives from a design by Albrecht Dürer. It is the third of three states. What we see is the instant when Christ bids farewell to his mother.
Description
Four figures fill the plate: an older woman separates Christ from his mother, while another woman with a child weeps. Christ stands at the centre, surrounded by the others, all wrapped in traditional garments. Trees and a city suggest the background. The layout feels symmetrical, with even light and no harsh shadows. Delicate lines and hatching bring out the texture of the clothing and the features of the faces.
Context
Raimondi made this engraving as part of his Passion of Christ after models by Albrecht Dürer. He was known for reproductive prints after Italian and German artists. The sheet dates from between 1500 and 1534 and reflects the Renaissance impact on printmaking. The series circulated widely and helped make Dürer's inventions known in Italy.
Impact
The engraving depends on its precise linework and the calm, symmetrical arrangement of the figures. Soft shading gives the garments plastic fullness and draws the eye to the emotional farewell. Because the light is evenly distributed, a quiet, devotional atmosphere emerges, inviting reflection on the events of the Passion.
Technique
For this print, a copper plate was incised with lines, then filled with ink and pulled. Raimondi used fine, parallel hatching to create shadows and textures. The present impression is the third state of three, indicating later reworking of the plate.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)